https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers.atomSociety Nine - Society Nine Storytellers2018-04-04T23:45:00-07:00Society Ninehttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/cristina-gonzalez-small-but-mighty2018-04-04T23:45:00-07:002018-04-04T23:45:35-07:00Cristina Gonzalez: Small, But MightySociety Nine
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<p>Photo credit: <a href="https://www.sharonattiaphoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sharon Attia</a></p>
<p>I've always been a petite person. I weighed a mere five pounds, 15 ounces at birth, a full term baby in a premee’s body. Growing up I steadily remained in the low 20<sup>th</sup> percentile for my height, and 10<sup>th</sup> percentile for my weight. My mother loves to tell the story of a time I came home from kindergarten crying. “Cris, what happened?” she asked, to which I responded through tears, “The teacher said I was the smallest person in the class.” I didn’t like the implication of being the smallest, because to many it meant that I must be weak. The statement bothered me because I thought myself pretty mighty.</p>
<p>As I got older, but not necessarily bigger, I continued encountering assumptions about my physicality, facing the usual offers to carry something that others thought might be too heavy for me, or little pats on the head as if I was some cute little toy. All of this was made worse by the fact that I am female, which meant that the usual things that are assumed about a woman’s strength and capacity were simply magnified by my less-than-imposing stature.</p>
<p>It took 32 years for that to begin to change. I started taking boxing classes as a challenge to myself to do something I didn’t think I was capable of excelling in. I had just finished the season with my dragon boat team, finishing second in that summer’s dragon boat race in Flushing, Queens. Dragon boating was a hobby I took up through a mix of curiosity and necessity—I had sprained my ankle that spring and couldn’t engage in anything physical that required my lower body, and dragon boating provided the perfect outlet for my aggression. It was an incredible feeling to see our ragtag group go from novices to placing second behind the fire department team in a matter of a few short months. So when this fun hobby ended, and my ankle mostly healed, I went searching for the next thing to take on. Boxing felt like the natural next challenge. It was for the tough, aggressive and badass, and it offered a great opportunity to a woman who balked at traditional gender norms.</p>
<p>I was pretty terrible at first. Even though I was running some 15 miles a week, I would leave class in utter pain from the punching, squatting, lifting, throwing, and any other grueling exercise they’d throw at us to build up our stamina as boxers. I’d keep coming back week after week, frustrated by my inability to naturally pick up the coordination required to throw punch combinations, chasing that elusive moment when it would all finally click. And little by little it did! One, two, hook, two! Two, slip, weave, hook! The snapping sound of my glove perfectly hitting the instructor’s mitt became my new addiction, and my motivation to continue improving. Months passed and I became stronger, muscles showed up in places I never fathomed having muscles. My most surprising accomplishment was finally having the ability to lift my suitcase into the overhead compartment of an airplane without any assistance. No longer a short girl problem because I now had boxer girl strength. </p>
<p>Boxing gave me the ability to finally display on the outside the way I felt about myself on the inside: strong, powerful, relentless, unstoppable. I wanted to see what else I could dive head first into and master, and I wanted to use this newfound power and strength to affect change where it mattered most to me. I wanted to be able to use what I’d learned in boxing to make sure other women and girls never thought of themselves as less than, or broken, or incapable. I wanted to use that strength to fight the patriarchal system that leads to so many women and girls underestimating their own capacity. If I could teach them boxing in the process, even better. </p>
<p>And so <a href="http://shefightsfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">She Fights Foundation</a> was born. I created She Fights to give other girls the opportunity to also feel strong, powerful, relentless, and unstoppable, and provide for them a safe environment in which they could match that strength with vulnerability. We started offering free boxing classes to NYC girls aged 14 to 19 who come from low income backgrounds, first as a pilot program in May of 2016, and officially as She Fights in November of the same year. Most of the girls start the program with the intention to learn self-defense, and I while I do want them learn boxing and self-defense, I hope the takeaway is much greater than that. </p>
<p>I don’t want to say that our mission is especially germane now given the current political climate, because our societies have always looked to squelch the voices of strong women, to snuff out those who dare enter realms dominated by men. Our subjugation is not new, and our objectification is not novel. But if our detractors feel more emboldened than ever to speak up, we must be louder, and our resolve to strengthen and lift one another must be relentless. </p>
<p>I hope our boxing program allows our girls to see themselves as forces of nature, unstoppable in their resolve to become their strongest selves. I hope it changes the way the world sees women, and starts noticing the power we possess in our ability to endure and overcome. Ultimately, I want our girls to look at themselves in the mirror and ask, "What can't I do?" I hope they set out to find the answer, and discover that there is little they can’t achieve. </p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/X-2nmdLGubY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/cristina-gonzalez-small-but-mightyhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17973596-gemma-fleming-my-own-champion-and-protector2018-04-04T23:44:00-07:002018-04-04T23:44:56-07:00Gemma Fleming: My own champion and protector.Society Nine

This is the sixteenth profile in our Society Nine Storytellers series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.

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<p>This is the sixteenth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.</p>
<p>Have a story to tell? Submit it <a href="storytellers.societynine.com" title="Society Nine Storytellers Submission">here</a>! Tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</p>
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<p>Fighting has helped heal me. It enveloped my wounds, and forced me to examine my own damaged and traumatized parts. The martial arts taught me that I’m allowed to take for myself, without the same devastating emotional consequences that have plagued me in the past. I think it’s only fair to myself that I tell the real truth behind why I am drawn to fighting. I have been fighting all my life; but now it’s become art.</p>
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<p>I spent a lot of my childhood helping those around me. Every time someone needed me I was there, never deeming those in need of help as weak or defenseless. It became a code: to love and protect the ones who couldn’t protect themselves. But in a way, I was looking for someone to eventually love and protect me. I never found that love and protection. More often, my kindness was taken for weakness, and the vultures picked me apart.</p>
<p>Growing up it was a constant struggle to survive abuse, both emotional and physical (sometimes, unfortunately, sexual). I was taught to compete with everyone, especially other girls. My relatives often ridiculed me, picked me apart, and pitted me against my own family for their approval. Being abused for many years made me aggressive. I was told that I was out of control, and that my anger was my own fault. </p>
<p>My father embraced passivism and my mother had a temper that was unmatched by anyone. Shortly after their separation, my mother started dating a man who would later become her husband (now ex-husband) of twenty-three years. I hated him, resenting his presence so much that I made it my personal goal to express my discontent.</p>
<p>In time, I grew fond of him. He shared with me the things he loved, and I grew to love them too. One day my stepfather tied a punching bag to a tree. I asked him about it, and he said he would love to show me how to hit. As I ran outside to join him, my mother pulled me aside: “Absolutely not.” </p>
<p>Because I was a girl, my mother strongly disapproved of my desires to practice the martial arts. I was pushed toward pursuing other talents: acting, singing, modeling, and pageantry. I grew disinterested in each of these in turn, and needed to try something else. Fighting had always occupied a space in my mind, but it was the one thing I was not allowed to do.</p>
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<p>In my twenties, after I’d moved to New York, a friend from college who practiced Jiu Jitsu came to stay with me. Around that time, I had thoughts about joining a gym. I found myself outside the steps of a basement-level Muay Thai gym called The Wat, located in Tribeca. The first person to approach me was a small, spritely woman—a barrel of dynamite packed into a five-foot female frame. Her name was Susan Reno and, later on, she would become my boxing coach.</p>
<p>The more time I spent around her, the more fascinated I became with fighting. She ignited my curiosity, my dreams of fighting, and my respect for other fighters. As time went on I began brainstorming a short film featuring female martial artists, with Susan as one of the main characters. The project has spanned into almost half a year of filming, including several other females from different schools, and with the support of close friends and artists (David Mack and Gawakoto clothing, being one of my main partners). Working on this film has solidified my trust and belief in women. We are a tribe, a group that thrives as a collective. When you are in the ring, you are alone. It’s your fight. When you are done, your tribe is waiting for you, to help heal and commemorate your time spent in battle.</p>
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<p>My greatest hurdle in becoming a fighter was learning to understand and own my femininity. I had a hard time accepting that I could be united by womanhood, after years of being divided by my own kind. I believe now that I, as a woman, am becoming aware of my true self. It’s not about being treated as an equal to man. It’s about being treated as a woman. It’s about being respected for our differences, our strengths, and our vulnerabilities, and not being broken down, picked apart, exploited, or pummeled by our better half, or even by other women.</p>
<p>If I could talk to my former self, that small child who had to endure until the freedom of adulthood granted her an escape, I would tell her to not accept what had happened to her as her fault. But I can’t reclaim the past. I can only be her champion and the greatest mother to her now. Her protector, my protector — a female fighter.</p>
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<p><strong>Gemma was raised in Seattle, Washington. She currently lives and works out of New York as a photographer and filmmaker. Her amateur fight debut is on April 11<sup>th</sup> in New Jersey at The Warriors Cup.</strong></p>
<p>Please check out clips from Gemma's work for her new documentary SENSHI, an exploration of the female fighting spirit!</p>
<p>"Wai Kru" Teaser: <a href="https://vimeo.com/110224222" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://vimeo.com/110224222</a><br>"The Code" Teaser: <a href="https://vimeo.com/117959813" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://vimeo.com/117959813</a></p>
<p>Studio photos by George Chin; all other photos Gemma's own.</p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/rCQpHMPI0t8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17973596-gemma-fleming-my-own-champion-and-protectorhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/samantha-ory-fighting-to-ko-cancer2017-09-27T09:38:00-07:002018-04-04T14:16:47-07:00Samantha Ory: Fighting to KO CancerSociety Nine
<p><b>Society Nine is a proud sponsor of <a href="http://haymakersforhope.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Haymakers for Hope's</a> Belles of the Brawl V event, happening October 5, 2017 in Boston. We're excited to be sharing these snap shot interviews featuring various Belles fighters, giving us a glimpse into what it's like to be in training camp prepping for the event as well as raising money at the same time. (Yep, we know - they are rock stars!) </b></p>
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<p><b><span>Purchase a ticket to Belles of the Brawl V on October 5th <a href="https://www.haymakersforhope.org/profiles/samantha-ory">here</a>! </span></b></p>
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<p><b><span>Samantha </span></b><b><span>Ory</span></b><b><span> has been putting in work at UFC Gym and below you’ll hear about her first time sparring an</span></b><b><span>d more about her experience with Haymakers thus far.</span></b><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}'> </span></p>
<p><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'><strong>Reposted with permission from <a href="http://haymakersforhope.org" target="_blank" title="Haymakers for Hope" rel="noopener noreferrer">Haymakers for Hope</a></strong><br></span></p>
<p><strong>Q: How is your training coming along? </strong></p>
<p><span>Training is going really well – I haven’t worked out this hard since I ran on a competitive level. It was a bit of a shock to my system initially, but extra stress that my body has gotten used to at this point. My body actually craves the gym and my whole system is out of sync if I don’t get my daily routine in! I have also noticed a change in my athletic ability. Runs and Yoga sessions that were once more challenging for me have become much easier since I started my boxing and conditioning.</span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span></p>
<p><strong>Q: What is your weekly routine?</strong></p>
<p><span>I train twice a week for 1-2 hours with my coach. The other 4 days I shadow box, jump rope, and hit the bag for at least 45 minutes usually coupled with a run of about 3 miles, swim, yoga, hip hop (for the foot work!) or a boxing cardio course which encompasses some weight lifting. Sunday is my off day and boy do I need it by then.</span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span></p>
<p><strong>Q: How has your diet changed since training began? </strong></p>
<p><span>I expected to be on a strict health kick, but soon realized that I am burning so many calories I need fats and sugars so I don’t lose too much weight. I have been eating everything and anything and eat every 2-3 hours (I am literally hungry all the time!) with my big meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner. One time I was on hour 2 of training and one of the other coaches came in with a Philly cheese steak, and I swear it was almost impossible for me to concentrate. All I cared about was getting my hands on one too!</span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span><span> </span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span></p>
<p><strong>Q: Tell us about your first time sparring. Different than expected? </strong></p>
<p><span>Yes, it was actually much scarier than I expected it to be. I got punched in the nose pretty hard, and despite my increased stamina still found myself completely winded – even in a 3 minute round! The fight or flight sensory’ s kicked in and not only did I forget my technique, but even forgot to put my gloves up to avoid the punches because I was so stunned. Not my proudest moment, but something I have since been able to control and am still in the process of training for!</span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span></p>
<p><strong>Q: What has been the most challenging part of sticking to the routine and training so far? </strong></p>
<p><span>The time commitment has been the most difficult part of training for me. It is tough to stick to a steady schedule sometimes with work commitments. Also, working out as hard as you do requires an additional shower, which for a girl can get a bit tedious (:::girl stuff takes forever:::) and adds an additional 20-30 minutes to your workout time block. Needless to say I have definitely been cutting out any make up or hair straightening lately (am I right ladies??)</span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span></p>
<p><strong>Q: What does your family think of your participation ?</strong></p>
<p><span>They are honestly a bit worried about me getting beaten up – but quite supportive as they understand this is important to me.</span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span></p>
<p><strong>Q: Has there been anyone that has surprised you by their cancer story? </strong></p>
<p><span>I had a friend that battled cancer (and won!!) He ended up working through the entire ordeal without missing work once except for standard doctor’s appointments. It was truly inspirational </span><span>to me given how sick he must have been feeling as he was going through treatment but how he refused to let it alter his life and goals in that moment. His story has made me stronger in my own career and made me rethink what I thought of as a “bad day in the office.”</span><span> </span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span></p>
<p><strong>Q: Has your initial inspiration changed since the start of your training? </strong></p>
<p><span>Not at all, in fact it has gotten more powerful as I go through this journey with the other Belle’s. I have had so many amazing friends support me by coming to my conditioning sessions, helping me market myself to fundraise, organizing groups together to come support me during fight night and understanding when I am a bit later to events than usual due to training! I really cannot thank them enough!</span><span data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559685":1440,"335559739":160,"335559740":240}'> </span></p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/SDb8lJAH1Ts" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/samantha-ory-fighting-to-ko-cancerhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/the-balance-of-power-from-the-gym-to-the-boardroom-what-martial-arts-has-taught-me2017-05-20T10:45:00-07:002018-04-04T14:19:10-07:00The Balance of Power: From the Gym to the Boardroom, What Martial Arts Has Taught MeSociety Nine
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<p><strong></strong><strong><u>About the author, Beverly Baker:</u></strong></p>
<p>Beverly’s mother always wanted her to take ballet. Instead Beverly fell in love with the fluid and powerful movements from those super-corny martial arts movies her older brothers used to watch. She aspired to move that beautifully (not including the mismatch of mouths and words caused by English dubbing). Beverly is a 2nd dan black belt in ChaYon Ryu, a Yellow Belt in Krav Maga and has trained in a range of traditional and modern styles including karate, jiu-jitsu, boxing, aikido and judo. She lives in Los Angeles, holds an MBA focusing in digital media management and spends her free time road tripping with her boyfriend, Brian.</p>
<p><em>This is a follow up to her previous Society Nine Storytellers blog, which you can read <strong><a href="http://societynine.com/blogs/blog/stop-apologizing-memories-of-my-first-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</strong></em></p>
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<p><em>I was at the gym tonight. This new guy, he was 20-something, was there holding the heavy bag as I was hitting. When I finished he said, "Wow, she really hates men." </em></p>
<p><em>In my teens I would have crumbled at the remark. </em></p>
<p><em>In my 20s I would have clocked him when we sparred. </em></p>
<p><em>In my early 30s I would have said, "Hate men? No, I live life with just as much passion." </em></p>
<p><em>Now in my late 30s, all of these ran sequentially through my mind, but I let them all go. I just kept working out, shrugging his attitude off as his problem, not mine.</em><em> </em></p>
<p><em>I love being me.</em> </p>
<p><strong>I jotted that down a few years ago after coming home from my boxing class.</strong> I was astonished that a fellow boxing student would equate punching a bag hard with some kind of hatred inside of me and writing those words down helped me put them in perspective. But even more important, it helped me see how far I had come mentally in dealing with these kinds of comments. </p>
<p>Now in my 40s, I was reminded of this story after a former co-worker encouraged me to write about the cultural bias against strong women. He had read my <a href="http://societynine.com/blogs/blog/stop-apologizing-memories-of-my-first-class">first blog post for Society Nine</a> and wrote to me in an email:</p>
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<p><em>One of the things I've always admired about you is your confidence and strong presence in meetings and calls. It was really interesting to read your article and realize you may not have always had that, and that martial arts helped you become stronger in other areas of life. I think it's really interesting because a lot of women struggle with confidence in a largely male environment, and are afraid of being perceived as bitchy. I see a lot of articles about this in business and especially in tech, and I’ve learned a lot by talking about it with my girlfriend. It’s a delicate line, and definitely a double standard. But I think you handle it really well! You’re generally upbeat and outgoing and smile a lot so I think it’s hard for people to believe you’re angry or bitchy. People like you! :) </em></p>
<p><em>I think more women would be into martial arts if they knew it could help them be more confident at work or elsewhere. Beyond the techniques, I think there’s a lot of really helpful philosophy with broader applications, like de-escalating a situation before there’s conflict.</em></p>
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<p>I was moved. And he gave me a lot to think about. In training, there is a time for making my partner at ease and comfortable and there is a time to plant my sidekick in their gut. Before I read his note however, I wasn’t aware of how much of that delicate balancing act I brought into my professional life.</p>
<p>But why is it important for women to manage how we’re perceived in the professional world? Shouldn’t we be judged by our merits alone? <strong>Unfortunately, study after study demonstrates that <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15544770802092576?src=recsys&amp;">women are judged more harshly when we compete in areas traditionally defined as male</a>. Further, while <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2044-8325.2010.02008.x/abstract">the women who receive the most rewards at work (promotions, etc.) are those who display “masculine” traits, they only reap those rewards if they can soften the edges of their assertiveness.</a></strong></p>
<p>So just as we often do in martial arts training, women in business face a double bind: <strong><a href="http://one.npr.org/?sharedMediaId=498311166:498311645">If we are too assertive or outspoken, we are labeled as “dangerous,” even as our assertive male counterparts are regarded as “driven.” But if we are perceived as too feminine, we are viewed as weak and ineffective.</a></strong> Our very success can thwart future success as we face negative reactions from our peers.<strong> <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/apl/89/3/416/">And should we succeed in a traditionally male arena, our reward is being liked less and put down more. This dislike can hurt our careers long term even after we’ve clearly demonstrated our competence. </a> </strong></p>
<p>Whether I’m training or at work, I’m often in male-dominated environments. If I want to be effective, I have to consider how I’m being perceived and adjust accordingly. For example, in developing business deals, I negotiate hard, but not in a hard way. You could describe my negotiation tactics as akin to the principles of aikido. And then there are the times that I have to take a hardline with an external partner. Perhaps they’ve not delivered on their promises or have otherwise underperformed. As a woman I’m not able to get away with the hard line stance that my male colleagues can. Keeping in mind the consequences discussed above, I still have to set boundaries in such a way that does not damage the relationship. In working with guys in my physical training, who are generally larger and stronger, I’ve learned that my strength comes from attacking creatively, rather than simply head on. While my physical training has taught me to not be afraid to throw a proverbial hard punch, both physically and socially it has also taught me that who I’m working with is critical. Some people are fine with a head-on approach while others need a bit more finesse. While it may not be “fair”, “fairness” really isn’t relevant when there may be important consequences at stake. </p>
<p>It was through my martial arts training that I first learned to manage these perceptions. Early in my training I began to notice that my assertiveness sometimes elicited reactions that my male training partners don’t have to deal with. Ninety percent of my training partners are cool training with aggressive women. We work together with no problems. The other ten percent peg me as angry or in a bad mood when nothing could be further from the truth. I train not because I’m angry, but because I’m happy. And training makes me happy. How can I be in a bad mood when I’m doing something I love so much?</p>
<p>Dealing with that ten percent — and they aren’t all men, by the way — I’ve had to learn how to balance being serious and focused with being approachable and friendly. As my former co-worker observed, de-escalating a situation isn’t just about physical safety but also about reading the other person and managing their perceptions. In the earlier days of my training, I was terrible at this. I came across as cold because I didn’t want to make small talk in class, but rather stay focused on the drills. Over time, I’ve developed the habit of always giving my partner a big smile before we train and being sensitive to his or her social cues. Now when a partner wants to chit-chat during class, cutting in to our precious training time, my go-to response is: “That sounds great! I’d love to hear more about that after class!” Then we start the drill.</p>
<p>After all this time however, and regardless of my efforts, I’ve seen that I can still be misunderstood. Though more and more women are now training, we all still run into the negative perceptions assertive women face. The most recent came while I waited for some girlfriends after training to head out for our regular “Punch &amp; Brunch” Saturday. As I waited I joined a conversation with a few guys in the lobby. Most of them I had trained with previously, one I didn’t know at all. As one of them, an instructor, described his curriculum for his upcoming sparring class I got excited and asked about his class.</p>
<p>“Oh, do you take sparring classes?” the man I didn’t know asked, surprised. </p>
<p>“I do, I love it. It’s a lot of fun!” </p>
<p>The other men joked, “Oh yeah, and she’s tough too.” Then one of them added, “You’ve got to watch out for her. She’s got a lot of hate in her heart.”</p>
<p>I generally let nonsense like that slide. But something about those words stung. I asked, “Would you say that if I were a man who liked sparring class?”</p>
<p>“Well, no,” he stammered.</p>
<p>I didn’t want to make it into a thing, and by his stammer and the sheepish look that came across his face, I saw that he got the point. I recognized those social cues and happily changed the subject.</p>
<p>It was my training that first taught me how to express and harness my physical power. As an unexpected benefit, my training has translated to skills for the business world. Perhaps one-day women won’t need to manage perceptions so carefully. But until that day, I am grateful for my training that helps me walk that fine line. </p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/Ma-OEMSdOD4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/the-balance-of-power-from-the-gym-to-the-boardroom-what-martial-arts-has-taught-mehttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/louise-and-jazzy-green-sharing-the-fighting-spirit-together2017-05-11T16:52:00-07:002018-04-04T14:19:54-07:00Louise and Jazzy Green: Sharing the Fighting Spirit, TogetherSociety Nine
<p>Louise Green is the Founder of <a class="_2wma" href="https://www.facebook.com/Louise-Green-Millinery-Co-Inc-84330250652/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Louise Green Millinery Co. Inc</a>, and <span>has been designing &amp; making handmade Millinery for the past 25 years. Jazzy Green, her daughter, i</span>s a Fitness and Expert 2 Krav Maga Worldwide certified instructor, has trained at The Olympic Education and Olympic Training Centers for wrestling, is a Level 2 MovNat certified instructor, a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified instructor, and has coached middle school wrestlers to professional adult male and female fighters to first-time movers. Her accomplishments include two-time California female state wrestling champion, second in the nation for freestyle wrestling, third for folkstyle, and was seventh in the nation in college. She founded <a href="https://www.generosity.com/volunteer-fundraising/self-defense-and-nutrition-program-to-south-africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vital Defense International,</a> and is raising funds to support their programming in various communities across Africa that are beginning this summer.</p>
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<p><span class="s1">This is their story.</span></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">We come from a long line of strong women. Hopefully Jazzy &amp; I will continue to be role models for future generations of our family.</span></p>
<p><span class="s1">I don't know when it happened but at some point my daughter Jazzy became my athletic guru. </span><span class="s1">It's been a long &amp; crazy fun fitness journey for both of us &amp; we have loved &amp; supported each other every step of the way.</span></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Jazzy became an athlete at 3 taking gymnastics &amp; soon went on to pursue many forms of fitness &amp; martial arts. </span>She remembers having fit parents who cycled, lifted weights &amp; water skied with her &amp; thinking it was normal. <span class="s1">I drove Jazzy to gymnastics, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu &amp; then to 6am wrestling practice in high school. </span><span class="s1">When she asked at 11 to take Krav Maga I decided to train with her. </span><span class="s1">I had never hit anything before. The experience to use my physical strength was freeing &amp; exciting. I found that I loved to hit things. </span><span class="s1">We had a blast as partners in Krav for two years. We challenged each other while training for our yellow belt test. When we passed I realized it was time to let her fly alone.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Jazzy &amp; I are peaceful warriors with the knowledge that we can defend ourselves if need be. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Jazzy became a Krav Maga Instructor at 19. I took her classes where she would often ask me to be her partner &amp; demonstrate skills &amp; technique to the students. </span><span class="s1">At present she teaches at KMW Portland, Oregon. </span>I have continued as a Krav Maga Worldwide member taking CrossFit, kick boxing &amp; mobility &amp; Cardio Con. I am in my 17th year as a member.<br><span class="s1"></span></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">At 63 I now take gymnastics, 60 years later than Jazzy. </span>Jazzy &amp; I connect through our joy of working out. <span class="s1">We still train together for fun whenever we can. </span>I'm still Mom but I learn from Jazzy's incredible talent every day. What I believe Jazzy has learned from me is <strong>tenacity</strong>. Once I put my mind to something, I never give up. We both realize how lucky we are to share the passion of fitness &amp; vitality as mother &amp; daughter.<br><span class="s1"></span></p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/UP808Sdtu2E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/louise-and-jazzy-green-sharing-the-fighting-spirit-togetherhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/ashley-curry-fighting-for-country-muay-thai-and-against-ms2017-04-19T08:52:00-07:002018-04-04T14:20:32-07:00Ashley Curry: Fighting for country, in Muay Thai, and against MSSociety Nine
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<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Ashley Curry served in the U.S. Navy for six years as an underwater mine expert. After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she was medically retired and is now a Behavioral Therapist for children with autism and is also a Muay Thai fighter. Her personal passion is to encourage those who feel lost after a diagnosis or anyone dealing with an illness. Her goal is to remind them to never give up. </span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">This is her story.</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">--------------------</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">My name is Ashley Curry and I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in December of 2011. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">One morning, while serving in the US Navy and stationed in Japan, I woke up and my right hand was frozen still. I went to the doctor and they suggested I get an MRI of my head and spine. Immediately I was called back into the office for my results. As I looked across from the doctor, I could see an image of a brain with "white spots" on it and was sure he was violating someone else's privacy by still having it open when I walked in. He soon told me that it was my own brain and it was suggested that I had a rare brain tumor. I was sent to Hawaii to have them removed. As the doctor told me how the procedure would go, she asked me for my precious MRI images. I quickly remembered that I had left them in Japan, so she put in for me to have another one. The next day, I was sent to see another doctor as they told me I would have to have a spinal tap. Confused, I asked why this needed to be done. The doctor explained to me that the "white spots" in my brain weren't tumors, but lesions and they needed to find out why. I received my spinal tap and it was the most painful thing I had ever endured in my life. I was later called back into the office for my results. I sat in the office, awaiting my appointment, when started reading pamphlets about a disease called multiple sclerosis. I didn't know what it was, but I distinctly remember saying to myself, "Wow, I'm glad I don't have this." While sitting across from the doctor, I heard the words that would forever change my life. "You have multiple sclerosis." </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">My heart sank as I kept my composure. I was later transferred back to America because they didn't have the means in that small urban town in Japan. While back in America, depression and anxiety became my everyday routine after dealing with pain, treatments, wheelchairs and limited use of parts of my body. I finally decided enough was enough and I needed help. I saw a psychologist and she suggested I find something to do. Something to make me happy. Instantly, I remembered that I used to do Muay Thai and it was something fun to do. My car practically drove itself to a Muay Thai gym I had once visited. At first, it was fun, and gave me a reason to get healthier until I realized my body was changing. I no longer had to use my cane to navigate through life and opening bottles were becoming more possible. </span></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I realized at that moment in time that if others decide to give up on themselves the way that I did, they would never get to this point, a point of deliverance. It became my mission, my duty, to encourage anyone who would listen to fight for their life. Fighting for my life, for me, is just that; the actual form of fighting through Muay Thai, but I actually want others to fight for their lives to live in whatever that means to them. When dealing with a silent illness, it can be very disheartening when it comes to dealing with others because the illness cannot be seen, therefore it doesn't make sense to people. So, we often keep our thoughts and feeling to ourselves, trapping our minds in a prison we made to keep from breaking. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">It's been a painful and exhausting journey, but I wouldn't have it any other way. In a way, this diagnosis was a blessing because it gave me a platform. It's hard to take advice from someone that doesn't know what it's like to give up on their life or to be given a "hidden" diagnosis, but because I have, others are more likely to take into consideration the example presented to them. My body wants to reject all that I do to it. I am not supposed to be able to do what I do. I wasn't supposed to get out of that wheelchair. I wasn't supposed to be able to take care of myself, but I did because I literally fought for it. I don't fight for self gratification. I don't fight to be the number one champion that ever lived. I fight because someone, somewhere is waiting for me to say, "Take it from me, don't give up."</span></p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/GgO50uUl3xQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/ashley-curry-fighting-for-country-muay-thai-and-against-mshttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/amy-stufflebeam2017-04-14T09:23:00-07:002018-04-04T14:20:42-07:00Amy Stufflebeam: From Baby Deer to Finding My Fight WithinSociety Nine
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<p class="p1 no-ant"><strong><span class="s1">Amy is a kickboxing enthusiast and licensed esthetician living in Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoys strength training, piña coladas in the rain and hanging with her two grumpy cats, Italics and Buckley. When she isn't hitting the bag at <a href="http://www.vestaatl.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">VESTA Movement</a> or hanging out with her cats she is working on her feminist lit series, the Bleux Stockings Society (you can check it out on Instagram <a href="http://instagram.com/bleuxstockingssociety" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@bleuxstockingssociety</a>). <br><br>This is her story.</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1 no-ant"><strong><span class="s1"><span>-------------------</span></span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’ve always been more of an indoor cat; I have zero hand-eye coordination, I was picked last for team sports and I failed gym because I refused to dress out for an entire semester. Given the choice between a friendly game of Red Rover (which, let’s face it, is a total oxymoron) and being grounded for a week, I’d happily take the latter. My mother, a lifelong fan and participant of every sport, was baffled at this alien child she’d somehow created, but supported my bookish tendencies anyway. With the exception of a short stint on the neighborhood swim team, I successfully avoided sweat-inducing activities my entire childhood.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This worked out okay until high school. I picked up smoking when I was fifteen, a habit that would take ten years to break. I learned to rely on junk food--particularly chocolate--to get through a bad day. Once I turned twenty-one, I practically lived off of pub food, cheap beer and a pack a day. No surprise, I felt terrible all the time. I didn’t sleep well, my energy was low and my skin was sallow and parched. So long as I maintained my weight, I didn’t care.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It continued on like this for several years until I was just too tired to keep going at the same pace. I finally quit smoking when I was twenty-five after months of concerted effort. I was ready to get my life on some kind of healthier track, though I had no idea what that looked like. I tried gym after gym, but never found the motivation to go more than once or twice. That Christmas, I stepped on a scale at my family’s house and almost passed out from shock: I had gained thirty pounds. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I’d added on some weight and I felt terrible about my body, but I had no idea I’d let it get so far. Desperate and freshly out of holiday leftovers, I signed up for my first kickboxing class.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The only way I can describe my fighting “style” in that first class is “newborn baby deer.” I had no idea how to throw a punch, let alone a kick. Basic footwork was a total enigma to me and I’m sure I looked like a world class idiot, but damn if I’d ever felt better in my entire life. I was pouring sweat, grinning from ear to ear. I felt like Rocky Balboa. (Or in my case Rocky GALboa.) I felt strong for the first time and I knew I could never go back to my old ways.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After that, kickboxing took over my life. I couldn’t stay out too late drinking because I had a class the next day. I couldn’t eat as much garbage, because I’d lose the progress I had made so far. I bonded with my community of lady fighters, and we encouraged each other to push ourselves to the absolute limit, to be better each and every day. Months passed and I began to feel more and more confident in myself. The bad habits (and extra pounds) just melted away. Muscles started forming where none had ever been and when I threw my elbow into the bag, I did it with gusto.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was addicted to the challenge and endorphins that I got from kickboxing and I wanted more. I started doing everything I could think of to chase that feeling: swimming, running, weight training, etc. The more I did, the better I felt. Of course, I had some bad days where my progress felt slow or I couldn’t quite land that kick, but my supportive instructors encouraged and guided me back to a good place. With their help, I gave up on the idea of giving up.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My entire life I’ve felt weak and small, but I’m proud to say those days are over. I’m so grateful for kickboxing for making me stronger and for giving me a sense of purpose. It has so markedly changed my life that I don’t think I can picture a future without it. I have dreams of becoming a personal trainer, of running a marathon and of being the best possible version of myself. I’m a fighter now and always will be.</span></p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/GTD_gK-Yy5E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/amy-stufflebeamhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/shannon-kasperson-choosing-to-uncover-the-fight-within2017-03-31T16:00:00-07:002018-04-04T14:20:54-07:00Shannon Kasperson: Choosing To Uncover The Fight WithinSociety Nine
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<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Shannon Kasperson is a new(ish) member of the boxing community whose journey truly began when she recognized her ability to choose. With that, she began uncovering her fight within and never looked back. When she isn't getting rounds in at Uppercut Boxing Gym in Minneapolis, she is helping students and veterans navigate the financial barriers of reaching their educational goals.</span></strong><strong><span class="s1"><br><br>This is her story.</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1"><span>-------------------</span></span></strong></p>
<p><span class="s1">I can’t remember a moment in my thirty-two years that I haven’t been overweight. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">I’m sure the times are there, but I must have been a child because I have no memories of being at a healthy weight. I wish I could say it was just an extra 15 or 20 pounds I was carrying around, but even on my best days, the times where I was reaping the benefits of months of dieting and hard work at the gym, I was still considered “overweight." Most of the time, if I’m honest, I’ve been obese. Over time, carrying this weight had become my way of life. I learned to live the role of “the fat one” in the group: at work, at school, with friends, even in my own family. You learn where to buy larger sized clothes that aren’t hideous, you wear ugly ass orthopedic shoes that can handle your weight without killing your feet, and you learn to tell yourself that this is just going to be your thing. Everyone has a thing, right? It is something you struggle with that very few people really understand, that you just deal with. Like any thorn in your side that refuses to leave you in peace</span><span class="s1">, you learn to live with it. Because, what other choice is there? </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">Living with it, for me, meant a lot of things. It meant thinking no one would ever find me attractive. It meant realizing I’d never be running those fun 5K events where you get doused with buckets of paint or wear a stupid tutu across the finish line. It meant giving up on so many things that so many other people enjoy every day without having to think twice about it. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">It also meant always watching what I ate. Even when I wasn’t actively losing weight and just trying to stay afloat. It meant I couldn’t put a single thing in my body without having to spend enormous amounts of time either thinking about it, or worse, feeling bad about it. Going to the bar with friends for happy hour drinks after work? Eating a piece of cake for your co-worker’s birthday? Or partaking in the donuts that that one girl in your office brings in all the time? Yeah, not things fat girls can do. Well, okay, you can…but you’ll never get anywhere with your weight loss with habits like that, so we say “oh no thanks, I already ate” and then wait for everyone to tell us how stupid we are because I mean, come on, it’s just one donut, one drink, one piece of cake, one fill-in-the-blank-piece-of-food-someone-can’t-handle-that-you’re-not-eating. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">But here’s the thing: “living with it” isn’t really a thing. Trying to forget about it and live the best life you can despite the circumstances, is damn near impossible. Because it’s bullshit. It leaves you pissed off, resentful, and feeling helpless over your life. It leaves you missing out on So.Many.Things. So one day I made the choice that I was done missing out on things. I wanted my life to be beautiful and it was time to figure out how to get that. I wasn’t going to stop eating healthy or pursuing weight loss, but <strong>I was going to learn how to do this in a way that was honoring to myself and my life</strong>. I needed a way forward that would create less extremes and more balance for long term sustainability. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">I was looking around on Pinterest for some inspiring quotes to help me get started, and I came across one with the quote “Losing weight is hard, maintaining weight is hard, staying fat is hard. CHOOSE YOUR HARD.” The words were set over a picture of a girl holding up her arm wearing a boxing glove. She looked strong and powerful, and that is when I realized I wanted to learn how to box... It would take me three years until I finally got the courage to walk into my first class.</span></p>
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<p><span class="s1">I knew I needed something for women only, and something that would work with me where I was at: not physically fit whatsoever. One night I decided to google “women’s boxing in the Twin Cities” to see if I could find something that wasn’t completely terrifying. Even though I’d looked for a place many times before, that night I magically found something called “Pink Gloves Boxing.” Pink Gloves Boxing is a small program for women to learn boxing in a safe, women-focused environment. I found a chapter here in the Twin Cities (MN) and attended two classes before the instructor had a baby and took time off. Four months later, I learned they were permanently ending the chapter. To say I was bummed would be an understatement. It had taken me three years to get the courage to walk into that class, and now it was over before it really started?!</span></p>
<p><span class="s1">I was facing another decision moment: I either wanted to box or I didn’t. I was either about it or I wasn’t. I had to decide one way or another. So I found one more gym in Minneapolis and decided that if it didn’t work out, then I’d be done with boxing. <a href="http://www.uppercutgym.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Uppercut Boxing Gym</a> in Northeast Minneapolis is a legit boxing gym, located in a warehouse down an alley in an industrial part of the city. While this gym is woman-owned, it is co-ed and they are there for one thing: to teach you how to box. No weight loss gimmicks, no “we work with you where you’re at;” they train people for the sport of boxing.</span></p>
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<p><span class="s1">I walked into what I considered the most intimidating place I’ve ever been to in my life, and that first class kicked.my.ass. As did the second, third, fourth and really every single class I’ve taken since. You’re talking to the girl who when she “ran” her final mile in gym class during senior year of high school, actively celebrated that she’d never have to do anything like that ever again. </span><span class="s1">These classes, however, had me doing squats, jumping rope, wall sits, crunches… and I could barely do any of it. </span><span class="s1"><span>Who knew so little of boxing is actually boxing?! And for a plus sized person?</span></span></p>
<p><span class="s1">In the beginning I was given little to no instruction on how to do any modifications for my 240lb frame. It felt like this gym was meant for one type of person: the fit person. The person who, while might be new to the sport but could attend for a few classes and get the hang of it and keep up. I am not that person. I can’t hold a plank for 10 seconds let alone 60 seconds. I can’t jump rope for 20 seconds without having to stop and pull up my gym pants from sliding down over my gut. Also, remember when I said it was co-ed? That means I spend each class huffing and puffing my ass off around a bunch of muscle-y, tatted up dudes and super fit, lean women. So it didn’t take me long to feel like I 100% did not belong there.</span></p>
<p><span class="s1">I felt like I had two options at that point: become the person this gym seems to have been made for (fit athletes) OR bow out now and go back to being “the fat girl” who just had to live with it. This realization led to a breakthrough for me: I could go back to my old way of thinking, giving up and resolving myself to the half-life I was living, or I could fight back. I decided to create a third option: I wanted this world, the fitness and boxing world, to be broad enough to include people like me. For that to happen, I had to fight my fear and ask for what I needed. An acronym for a move on the chalkboard that I’d never heard of? I’d walk right up to the scary trainer and ask them what it meant and to show me how to do it. An exercise my body physically could not handle? I’d ask my teacher for a modification after class and do it the next time around. Whatever I was still struggling with in class, I’d work on privately outside of class at my regular gym or at home. I learned during this time that if you wanted something here, you just had to f*cking take it. It was up to you to make it happen, because no one was going to do it for you. Would they be there to help you when needed it? Absolutely. But, it was up to me to figure out what I needed and wanted, and then chase after it.</span></p>
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<p><span class="s1">I should note that this is all still super super hard. I go to class and look around and feel like an imposter many days. I still feel shame over the fact that people don’t look like me in my classes, and that there are many moves and exercises I cannot perform due to my weight. I’m still scared to walk into this crazy intimidating boxing gym and show up knowing I won’t be able to keep up. But sometimes, the fear won’t go away, so you just have to do it afraid. Sometimes you have to tell that voice in your head to shut the hell up and keep moving. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">I started boxing to gain strength. Physical strength yes, but more than anything, mental strength to fight back against a world I’d lived in for so long. Because really? This is not a story about boxing. This is a story about fighting the inner demons inside your head that tell you that there is something wrong with you or that you are not good enough. It’s about persisting even when you don’t fit in, and choosing to make it so you fit in on your own terms, and then owning what that looks like. Having the confidence to identify what you want, and then take it. Sometimes when things are hard, you just have to fight back harder. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">Society Nine is for the fight within EVERY woman. I may not be a professional boxer, I may have only started this sport in the last six months but I am fighting for myself, I am a fighter. My fight is against the false things I’ve believed about myself for so long and the resentment, fear, and self-doubt that comes with it. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">It’s fitting that Uppercut Gym has us training in front of a wall of mirrors. Every class I stare at myself sweating and working as hard as I can to battle those thoughts and adopt new ones. I fight the idea that I am not good enough, and then punch that shit right in its face. Because I will be victorious. Because either it wins, or I win. And guess what? It’s my turn to win.</span></p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/HuANS4yQpyA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/shannon-kasperson-choosing-to-uncover-the-fight-withinhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/farinaz-lari-from-being-underestimated-to-becoming-the-canadian-flyweight-champion2017-02-23T09:16:00-08:002018-04-04T14:21:22-07:00Farinaz Lari: From being underestimated to becoming the Canadian Flyweight ChampionSociety Nine
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<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">﻿Farinaz Lari (<a href="http://instagram.com/farinazlari" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@farinazlari</a>) is a </span></strong><strong><span class="s1"><span>BCRPA Personal Trainer, </span></span></strong><strong><span class="s1">International kickboxing coach, Muay Thai coach, World Kickboxing Champion (WAKO) Athlete Committee member of the International Federation of Muay Thai (IFMA) and a Professional fighter with 20 fights (15-4-1). She's co-owner and one of the head coaches of <a href="http://districtwarrior.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">District Warrior</a> in Vancouver BC.<br><br>This is her story.</span></strong></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I started kickboxing at the age of 18 because my family didn't allow training in martial arts for women, so I had to wait until I was old enough to make the decision to. They said kickboxing is below our family values and martial arts is not for women.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">When I went to university, I started working at a clothing store and with my first paycheck I immediately signed up for an all ladies kickboxing class. After a few months of training I realized that this is the sport I want to compete in. My friends told me in order to win, I would have to have a male trainer! </span><span class="s1">I asked around and found a man named Ali Khanjari, who was the best trainer in Iran. When I called, he immediately said he doesn't teach women because they are not serious enough about training!</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Finally, after a lot of begging, he agreed and after training with him for some time, I won my first national championships! Shortly after that, I won a few more until I finally got into the national team. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">For the first international event, I was sent to Vietnam for the Asian Indoor Games, with the national team of Iran. Iran is an Islamic Republic, and the Hijab is mandatory for all women, even when you get in the ring! S</span><span class="s1">o naturally, all of my training was with a hijab.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The night before the fight, I was notified that the President of Iran didn't like the idea of women competing in kickboxing, so after all of that hard work, they said no! I went to his hotel with some officials and begged him to reconsider!</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">He agreed, but only if I added 5 centimeters to the length of my shorts. They said, "Ev</span><span class="s1">en with the shorts lengthened, you either win gold or you will never get a chance to compete internationally!" </span><span class="s1">I won silver, and that was devastating. I apologized to the public on national news right after the fight. </span></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">After that event, I was sent to a couple of other international events, every time with a fear of women not being permitted to fight. E</span><span class="s1">very time they would send a team, there were 1/3 of the number of female competitors compared to men, w</span><span class="s1">ith a good chance of women being eliminated all together.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">On September 2013, I became the first Iranian (man or woman) ever to win the World Kickboxing Championships in Brazil. T</span><span class="s1">he Iranian officials were horrified, and they barely congratulated me.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/ii_15a676d2baacaa8b_large.jpg?v=1487869619" alt=""></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I was living in Canada at the time (I still am), and the National Kickboxing Federation of Canada invited me onto their team. However, Iranian officials said I needed to be on probation for TWO years before I could switch teams (which later, I found out was a lie to stop me from competing for Canada!)</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Fast forward; now I have been living in Canada for 6 years, and I'm a full time trainer working 9 to 11 hours a day, at a studio owned by me and my coach/ husband. I'm now fighting professionally and recently became the Canadian Flyweight Champion </span><span class="s1">and on April 1st, I fight in Seattle for another world kickboxing title.</span></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I come from a place that women have almost no rights. The thought of a woman competing in combat sports is highly frowned upon, and women teaching combat sports is not taken seriously. </span><span class="s1">Even when I moved to Canada, before opening my own studio, I started training at a gym that didn't even allow women in their "fighter training classes"! The coach once had me in his office and told me: women don't belong here...they need to be in their own corner, doing their little things to get fit!</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I responded, "But I want to fight!"</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">And he said, "What if you get punched and get ugly? What would you do then?"</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I know my story is not unique. I know women have struggled a long time to simply have a fair opportunity to train and have had to fight to get equal opportunity to set whatever goals they want to, just as men have the right to do. This reality makes me want to fight even more...to show not just women, but to show everyone that if you put your heart into something, no matter how out of reach it seems, you can achieve it.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Screenshot_2017-02-23_09.08.39_grande.png?v=1487870082" alt=""></span></p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/e-W8GRqn-Bk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/farinaz-lari-from-being-underestimated-to-becoming-the-canadian-flyweight-championhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/susan-botyrius-fighting-for-life-through-sport2016-12-05T11:40:00-08:002018-04-04T14:22:33-07:00Susan Botyrius: Boxing out Parkinson's Disease.Society Nine
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<p><span class="il">Susan</span><span> is a mother of two, badass engineer and when she isn't taking life head on she is battling Parkinson's Disease. Diagnosed when her daughters were young, Susan set out to show them that no challenge was too great and to set an example of strength and fight. Along her journey, she was directed to the Rock Steady Program where she found a community of support and her </span>love of boxing.</p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I have always used the words of others who said I could/should not reach for a goal because of my gender as motivation to reach that goal. I have taken the path I wanted to take, not the path others told me I should take. Sometimes that path was the conventional one and other times it was not.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Growing up in the suburbs of St. Louis in the 60s and 70s, I never understood why I could not attempt anything I wanted to simply because I was a girl. When I was a little girl my grandfather nicknamed me Susan B Anthony because I wanted to be the first female cadet at the air force academy. Unfortunately I was born about 6 years too late. Someone else beat me to it.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>The idea that anything except an individual’s abilities dictates which paths are open and which are closed to that individual has always rubbed me the wrong way. I believe every individual is unique and deserves to pursue his/her dreams as long as they stay within societal ethics and morality. I am an individualist and this belief still drives me to this day. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In college I earned degrees in electrical engineering and computer science and turned those into a career as a control systems engineer. I started my career at a small consulting firm in Tallahassee. My boss was a terrific mentor and I learned a lot from him. </span><span>However, when I went to site</span><span>, I was the only female working in the production area and the head of maintenance felt I needed a babysitter and proceeded to assign an engineer to stay with me</span>. The reasoning, I was a woman. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Outside of work I did not fit in very well either, there were very few people I could relate to because of my field. The breaking point came when I was at a barbeque and I was talking to an older couple. They asked me what I did. When I responded that I was an electrical engineer, both the man and woman looked at me as though I had grown another head. Then i</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">n a thick southern accent the man said “You must be smart.” And the woman said, “You are a role model for young girls everywhere.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I did not want to be known just for being smart and I sure as heck did not want to be a role model. The last thing I needed was to be put on a pedestal. I simply wanted to be the best engineer I could be and I wanted to connect with other people like me. I wanted to have friends that were young and single. I also wanted a job that offered me more opportunities. It was time to move on. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eventually I found a job working at a rubber compounding plant in South Carolina for a major tire manufacturer. One of the possibilities that had attracted me was the potential opportunity to work overseas for a period of time. A year and a half later I was asked to go to France as a trainee for six months to be help with the </span><span>design of a new production line to be added here</span> in the United States.</p>
<p>While I was in France testing the controls at the vendors facility, I saw safety flaws in the design that would pose a serious danger to anyone working on the line. I spent HOURS attempting to explain my stance to co-workers. At first none of them understood what my objections were but I was able to get them to agree that maybe, just maybe, I had a point. But they were not going to change the design. In the end, I refused to accept the design and my boss in France overrode my objections allowing the design to be accepted. I lost the battle in France, but won the war in the United States when the plant maintenance department agreed with me and insisted that the vendor's design be changed. </p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>In France, I may have struggled to have my views understood but I met the man whom I would marry. He was the only American working for the vendor on the same project. Two years after we returned to the States we married and he moved from New Jersey To South Carolina to be with me. </span></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">And after our first daughter was born we moved to Pittsburgh and I stayed home and became the traditional Mom. We had another daughter and I continued my Mom role, working intermittently as a contractor. For the most part we were the conventional suburban family.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2004 my world changed dramatically when a persistent tremor in my right hand was diagnosed as probable early onset Parkinson’s Disease (aka PD). Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes tremors and other motion control issues for the patient. My oldest daughter was just starting fourth grade and my youngest daughter was just starting first grade. I quickly decided that I would do anything in my power to keep myself active and keep the disease at bay. I did not want my daughters’ memories of me to be those of a person defined by a disease. I wanted them to remember me as me. I also wanted my daughters to see that difficulties can be overcome and you cannot let anything stop you.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I have watched my daughters grow up from little girls to big girls to teenage girls to amazing young women. I cannot begin to say how proud I am of them. During this time my diagnosis has been confirmed as early onset Parkinson’s. I am a lucky one as it is still a very mild form. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Parkinson’s disease predisposes a person to depression and that has been a challenge for me. To help overcome, my neurologist suggested I visit a counselor and also try a program called Rock Steady. That was a turning point for me. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Untitled_design_57_large.png?v=1480961637" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding goes the bell and then the instructor yells into the mike, </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>“ARE YOU READY?” </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>“ARE YOU READY?” </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>“ARE YOU READY TO ROCK STEADY?” </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Everyone in the class moves to a heavy bag and round 1 begins.</strong></div>
<p>Rock Steady is a boxing class for people diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The Rock Steady program is specifically designed to improve the quality of life for people with PD by mitigating the symptoms using boxing. Boxing helps PD patients in two ways. Firstly, the whole body coordination required for boxing helps combat the loss of movement control prevalent in PD patients. Secondly, intense exercise has been found to help the brain use dopamine more efficiently and PD patients do not produce enough dopamine, so using the dopamine more efficiently results in an improvement in symptoms. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I began The Rock Steady program at Fit4Boxing in Pittsburgh and I can speak to how it does much more than just help with the physical symptoms I am fighting to overcome. </span><span>Every Thursday before the class starts there is a discussion and anyone who has read about or heard about anything that might help others is free to bring it up for discussion. Several members of the group have a medical background and are able to explain why certain protocols are used. </span>The staff has worked hard to cultivate a family like atmosphere in which every person is valued. All the participants in the program support each other. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I have found that boxing has helped alleviate my physical symptoms while the support and camaraderie of my fellow patients and the staff at Fit4Boxing has improved my mental state. It’s pretty incredible that the sport that has been blamed for multiple cases of PD, including Muhammad Ali’s, has also been found to be one of the best activities for helping people cope with the disease. I doubt that I will ever actually participate in a true boxing match. But by practicing as though I will, I hope to prevent or slow further progression of the disease. My end goal is </span><b>TO KICK PARKINSON’S ASS</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Untitled_design_58_large.png?v=1480963281" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></span></p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/M9rs96frCag" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/susan-botyrius-fighting-for-life-through-sporthttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/emilee-hoffman-becoming-a-stronger-me-every-day2016-07-25T14:33:00-07:002018-04-04T14:31:05-07:00Emilee Hoffman: Becoming a stronger me every daySociety Nine
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="il">Emilee</span><span> is a single mom that strives to set an example of strength for her daughter by pursuing her passion for BJJ, Muay Thai and MMA. Her journey began with BJJ but as her love for combat sports has grown so has her arsenal as she set her sights on entering the cage someday in the near future. She believes that any woman can achieve what she sets her mind to and that failure is only an opportunity to dust yourself off and try again.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Being a girl with a big brother and no other girls in my neighborhood, I grew up playing football in the front yard and jumping my bike off of dirt ramps we spent weeks building. Even though I was allowed to play with the boys, I was always told I couldn't do what they could. I wasn't fast enough or strong enough. But, of course, being who I am I had to prove them wrong. I played other sports like volleyball and track, but it wasn't until I found wrestling that I felt alive, free, like I was born for this. Again, people looked at me like I was crazy. They kept telling me I was too pretty to fight, to compete, etc. which made me want to do it even more.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was 19 when I had my sweet baby girl. By the grace of God I had my families support to get me through the tough times. Being a single mom, trying to balance not only being a good mother but a father as well, is harder than anyone can imagine. I commend and applaud those women who do it. I decided early on that I wanted to teach my beautiful girl how to be strong and independent, but also compassionate and sweet. To demonstrate and instill in her that she can accomplish whatever she sets her mind to, and if you fail you get back up because you learn from your failures. Trying to live by example, I fail at times and have to try to do better the next go round. It's hard to balance kids, work, your dreams and aspirations but I work to do it every day.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I found Brazilian jiu jitsu many years later and fell in love all over again. After watching a few MMA fights I knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to fight. I wanted to push myself where I didn't think I could, and to show others how great I am; that I'm more than meets the eye. Fighting/ grappling gives me the power to not just get through my struggles in the cage but outside of it as well.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I come from a family where the women are strong and independent, and those are the women I have strive to emulate. After I lost my aunt to stage four pancreatic cancer, it put so many things in prospective for me. That I needed to be free and open about my feelings, because you never know how long you really have with someone. Having a absent father, I had a hard time finding myself and my self-worth. In my life I have struggled with depression and anxiety. In those struggles I had to fight for my life; everyday was a battle with myself to keep going. To keep pushing forward. Fear of failure was always hanging over my head. It has been a fight with myself to figure out where I belonged, if people really wanted me for me. Trying to show people that I was great and always coming up short and not realizing I need to be happy with myself first. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I started Jiu Jitsu, I wanted desperately to prove myself worthy and every time I failed, I fell apart. Once I realized I needed to calm myself and learn from my mistakes I started to evolve. I became more confident in myself and in my training. I started to do better in the competitions I entered, coming out on top by placing first in each division. Now that my aspirations have expanded to MMA I have learned to calm my mind, breathe, and do the best I can. I have learned that I can succeed and learn from each experience I encounter. That I can get knocked down over and over again, but I can always choose to get back up, learn from my mistakes, and come back fighting harder. I have learned that I need to get out of my head, since over-thinking in the moment can cause me to hesitate. I'm still a work in progress but I am happy I have emerged from the darkness. There are many people I can thank for guiding me there.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I recently had my first Muay Thai hard sparring event. I admit I was nervous. My anxiety was creeping up, but I managed to keep myself calm. My opponent was bigger and a bit more experienced than me which I didn't know until afterward. I was surprised to be awarded a Mongkol, which are only given by Khru when they see someone who shows good technique, toughness, and a lot of dedication to the art of Muay Thai. I am proud of myself because I didn't break down and I did my best.</span></p>
<p><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Image-5_grande.jpg?17037575231064373052" alt=""><br><span style="font-weight: 400;">I fight to defeat myself, the person I couldn't defeat the day before. I push and push until I can't push anymore and then I move onto the next day and do it again. I am proud to be a fighter. And I'm so excited to see where my journey will take me.</span></p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/z8BLnmZwJY8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/emilee-hoffman-becoming-a-stronger-me-every-dayhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/115892869-nellie-neves-the-battle-no-one-can-see2016-04-12T11:04:00-07:002018-04-04T14:32:39-07:00Nellie Neves: The battle no one can seeSociety Nine
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nellie is an independent author out of Madera, California. She lives on a small ranch with her husband and daughter. Nellie is passionate about spreading awareness concerning multiple sclerosis. She understands first hand many of the struggles and frustrations concerning the stigma and preconceptions people face with this disease. Ten percent of all profits from the Lindy Johnson Series go to National Multiple Sclerosis Society. You can follow Nellie’s blog about writing and her life with MS at <a href="http://nellieknevesauthor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://nellieknevesauthor.blogspot.com/</a> </span>or you can follow her on Instagram: <a href="http://instagram.com/nellieknevesauthor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@nellieknevesauthor</a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both of her books can be found on Amazon in digital and soft cover:<br></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Caskets-Conspiracies-Lindy-Johnson-1/dp/1523954817/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1460477561&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=nellie+k+neves" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Caskets &amp; Conspiracies<br></a></span><strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nightwatch-Romantic-Novel-Nellie-Neves/dp/1514338351/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1460477608&amp;amp;sr=8-2&amp;amp;keywords=nellie+k+neves" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nightwatch</a> </span></strong></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>don’t look like a fighter; I never have. I’m just another mom late to pick up her first-grader because I was stuck in traffic, or because I couldn’t find the pink-eyed Beanie Boo I promised her for hitting her super reader goal. My hair is usually frazzled. My jeans are typically splotched with dirt from work on the ranch. I don’t wear accessories like the other moms. I don’t do scarves or cute sandals that glint in the sun. <strong>I’m here.</strong> Some days that’s all I have. But you can’t see that.</p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Almost four years ago, I woke up and my left arm felt as though I had slept on it wrong and it had fallen asleep. I waited for it to wake up all day long</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">⎯</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">nothing. I had full control over my arm; I still took my daughter to the park. I still cleaned the bathroom, washed the dishes, cooked a quick dinner, and headed for work as a fitness instructor. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Half way through class, I felt the numb sensation start to spread. I could feel its reach slowly inch over my skin, as though it was sludge or it had laced inside my veins. It was as if the left side of my face had disappeared. I looked at my class to see if there was some sense of shock or horror. Honestly, I thought I was having a stroke, and if my face had fallen they might have screamed. Nothing</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">⎯</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">just kept on side-lunging and working up that sweat. They didn’t stop, so I didn’t either. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By the time I returned home, I was scared. It was as if a line had been drawn down the center of my body and the entire left side was without feeling. That was the start of testing: MRI’s, sensitivity, walk the line like a sobriety check—all of it. Ideas were tossed around: aneurism, stroke, diabetes. But, finally, my neurologist landed on the answer: Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Bracelet_Large_grande.jpg?7990664914260003625" alt=""></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>One of the formats I was teaching as a fitness instructor at the time had a mixed martial arts component to it.</strong> I had always loved it; being able to visualize my opponent was a strength of mine and with a new pit of anger to draw on, my body responded with vigor. Still, I had to claw my way through every jab, every upper cut, and every squat and push up. <strong>I was determined not to let anyone see that I had changed.</strong> I hid the monster away and locked him in a cage so that no one could see his destruction, but that doesn’t mean he stopped destroying; <strong>it just meant that I faced it alone. </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I still have weak days, times when my body does not respond when I ask, but I refuse to be a victim anymore. These years spent alone without anyone knowing what I was fighting against have been pointless. <strong>What good is a victory if I cannot share it? What can I learn from a defeat if it won’t benefit others? No. I will reach out and lift those that need me.</strong> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> I have hard days. Days when my legs buckle and I stumble, but I will not give in to the monster. Those are the days that I fight back. It felt impossible to fight something like MS. There is no face, there are no fists to avoid, but my rage is real, my frustration and anger and helplessness are real. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I use kickboxing as a therapy to help me. Beyond the normal capacity of exercise, <strong>kickboxing helps me to find my inner strength.</strong> As I wrap my hands and prepare for battle, I can feel the monster quiver inside of me because he knows I’m still stronger than he is. <strong>He knows I refuse to sink.</strong> When my fists connect and I </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">feel</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> it, I know I’m in control. The pain, the excitement, the exhilaration that my completely numb leg just made an eighty-pound bag swing is therapeutic. Even in my weakness, I am still strong. <strong>Every kick I land, every punch I throw is a testament to this disease</strong></span><strong>⎯</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>I will not surrender.</strong> I may find myself on the ropes at times, it might feel like there is no way out, and I let those hits keep coming. But I </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">know</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> it is only a matter of time before I rally and fight back. I am stronger and I will not concede to this disease. I<strong> am not a victim. I am a warrior. A victim is attacked, but they do not fight back. A warrior is attacked, but they always retaliate.</strong> Every minute I spend fighting my monster is another brick in the walls that guard me from his rampage. I will not give in; I will not break down. I will fight until my last breath.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>I believe that every woman is a fighter in her own right.</strong> </span></h3>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>As an author, this is the reason that I write about strong women, women who won’t give up and won’t give in. Just like the warrior inside all of us, they have flaws, but their power runs deep.</strong> As I started my latest project, The Lindy Johnson Series, I faced a decision: I had an opportunity to give the main character the same monster I faced every day, but it meant sharing the secret parts of me in order to do it. Writing about a character with multiple sclerosis who still lives a normal life is another way I fight back. I won’t let the monster silence me in shame. As I wrote, spoke to others, and researched the emotional aspects of this disease, I felt empowered by the knowledge that I was not alone and excited that I could share that with my fellow warriors. As the reviews have come back since the release of Caskets &amp; Conspiracies, I have been happy to hear how many say they had no idea what MS was about, but they now have a glimpse into the world of a sister, a mother, or a friend. Knowledge is power. Understanding is freedom.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The more vocal I have become about my fight, the more I have come to meet others who cower in the shadows. MS is not the only monster that lurks without a face. Depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, heartache, addiction— the list goes on and on. All warriors that are also fighting for their lives in a body that doesn’t necessarily look sick. While I know what I do is not for everyone, I know it works for me. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I don’t look like a fighter. I may never step into the ring or deliver a knockout punch, but that doesn’t mean I don’t fight every day of my life. I’ve never fit in with other women</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">⎯</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">too loud for the quiet ones, too introspective for the outgoing ones. But among fighters, I feel the courage and the power surge within me. I am part of a society of strength</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">⎯</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">a legacy of hope and survival. I may just look like another mom on the block, but if you happen to pass by my garage late at night, you just might hear me fighting my monsters because I am a warrior.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Almost_Black_and_white_grande.jpg?16666953300145086297" alt=""></span></p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/1ljknGLrUoY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/115892869-nellie-neves-the-battle-no-one-can-seehttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/70051269-emily-corso-live-a-badass-life2015-11-30T18:36:00-08:002018-04-04T23:18:51-07:00Emily Corso: Live a badass lifeSociety Nine

EmilyCorso is a former professional MMA fighter turned self-defense coach and personal trainer. Though she trains both men and women, she particularly enjoys working with women and girls to increase strength, confidence, and functional fitness.

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<p><span class="il">Emily</span><span> </span><span class="il">Corso</span><span> is a former professional MMA fighter turned self-defense coach and personal trainer. Though she trains both men and women, she particularly enjoys working with women and girls to increase strength, confidence, and functional fitness. </span><span class="il">Emily</span><span> lives in Portland, Oregon and frequently hosts fitness fundraisers for badass non-profits. Learn about her next event </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jump-start-your-new-year-tickets-19578481766" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a><span>, or visit </span><a href="http://www.boldandbadass.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">her website</a><span> for more information.</span></p>
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<p>I took a self-defense class in college to fulfill a PE requirement.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While roughhousing on the first day of class, I found myself in a back control position on another student and the coach got very excited and yelled loudly. I was halfway through my freshman year at Reed College at the time, and I felt underwater trying to keep up in classes filled with sharp kids from fancy private schools. Jiu jitsu was just what I needed to feel confident again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I took my first MMA fight about six months after graduation, on a week and a half’s notice. At that point, I’d been doing jiu jitsu casually for a few years, and boxing for a few months. I’d essentially never seen an MMA fight before, so I didn’t really grasp what I was getting in to. I won that fight, and the feeling of exhilaration had me hooked.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/My_team_grande.jpg?1774265787317414368" alt=""></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After about several years of fighting as an amateur, I went pro in 2014 and had a whirlwind year. At my professional debut in Montana, I had the opportunity to take two fights in the same night. I won both fights by submission in the first round. A few fights later I made it to the rank of #1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the Pacific Northwest, and #11 female flyweight in the world.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though I fought professionally for only a short time, I’d already been competing for several years by then and I was burning out.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/ICF_Beck_Twist_grande.jpg?2329348183249966804" alt=""></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Weight cuts were getting more dangerous, commuting to practice was time-consuming and stressful, and I hit the end of my rope with hearing sexist garbage from male fighters and “fans”. After my fourth pro fight, I left the coach and teammates that I had been with practically from the start. At the same time, I signed a multi-fight contract with Invicta Fighting Championships—arguably the biggest women’s MMA promoter in the world—and accepted my first fight with them, thinking perhaps new management would renew my zest for competing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For years, getting to Invicta had been my dream. For a woman in MMA, Invicta is top of the line, and a very real stepping-stone to the UFC.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Cage_Sports_7.19.14-0654_grande.jpg?2329348183249966804" alt=""><br><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the same day that I announced my first Invicta fight, I was game-planning with my coach, Dylan, when I stumbled and stubbed my big toe. Unfortunately, that “stub” caused a serious dislocation and partially severed my big toe from the inside out. (See it </span><a href="http://www.boldandbadass.com/emilys-toe-injury"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, if you have a strong stomach.)</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I had been coaching self-defense and fitness at the time, and had to regretfully put that on hold to take some down time for recovery.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I took on that self-defense class at Reed College, it was the first time in my life that I broke out of my shell. I started doing jiu jitsu when I was 19. I was just becoming an adult, let alone a human. By the time I stepped away from MMA competition after my toe-pocalypse, I was 28 and had been doing combat sports for a third of my life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because I had been so wrapped up in MMA for so long, I wasn’t sure who I would be without fighting. My purpose as a fighter had been to show not just what I could do, but what women can do: that we can be just as skilled, athletic, and successful as the male fighters. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I hadn’t been keyed into sexism much before I became an athlete, but when your world is so quintessentially physical, gender becomes much more visceral and immediate. I think that’s part of why powerlifting has become such a big part of my life, because when I lift I simultaneously feel beastly strong </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">and</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> feminine.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Strength is not just a physical trait. I feel it in my belly when I succeed at a heavy deadlift: I am a strong person. (Not strong </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">for a woman</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, just </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">strong</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">.) And that doesn’t end when I walk out of the gym.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My former MMA coach Nick made an offhand comment during a jiu jitsu class a few years back, and it has stuck with me. He said that we can succeed both from the opportunities we create, and by learning to see and take advantage of the openings that offered by our opponents. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In jiu jitsu, it takes finesse to recognize and accept an opportunity for success without forcing it into existence, or trying to make it go away because it’s not what you would have chosen.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I didn’t leave MMA because the training was hard or because some people were jerks or because I had to make sacrifices. All of that had always been true. After my accident I saw that the sacrifices I was making for MMA were no longer bringing me closer to the life I wanted to live.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I saw the opportunity to make a change, and decided to pivot from competing in MMA to putting all of my effort into growing my business, </span><a href="http://www.boldandbadass.com"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bold &amp; Badass Fitness</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, so that I can have a more direct impact on the world. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fighting is the reason I went from being a shy adolescent headed for a Masters in Library Science to being a nerdy entrepreneur with a love for non-random acts of violence and picking up heavy objects just for the hell of it. MMA and fitness are how I uncovered my “inner badass”, and that gave me the confidence to take on far scarier tasks than cage-fighting (e.g. starting a business, speaking in public, teaching pre-teen girls to fight).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tagline for Bold &amp; Badass Fitness is the invocation to “live a badass life," because finding that inner strength is the most valuable reward that fitness can offer. It certainly was for me.</span></p>
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<p>This is the twenty-seventh profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.</p>
<p>Have a story to tell? Submit it <a href="https://society-nine.myshopify.com/admin/blogs/5995472/articles/storytellers.societynine.com" title="Society Nine Storytellers Submission" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>! Tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/Z7gMERqRzLA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/70051269-emily-corso-live-a-badass-lifehttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/69397061-maria-khwaja-born-to-be-a-fighter2015-11-23T15:51:00-08:002018-04-04T14:48:27-07:00Maria Khwaja: Born to be a fighter.Society Nine

Maria Khwaja is currently an English teacher and is training to hopefully fight as an amateur kickboxer in 2016.

She is also the founder of Elun (www.teachelun.org), a nonprofit dedicated to providing free teacher education to schools in the developing world. Elun has completed several projects in Rwanda, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Tanzania. Maria is also a freelance writer for the Fair Observer, focusing on issues related to educational development and Muslim women.

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<p>Maria Khwaja is currently an English teacher and is training to hopefully fight as an amateur kickboxer in 2016.</p>
<p>She is also the founder of Elun (<a href="http://www.teachelun.org/">www.teachelun.org</a>), a nonprofit dedicated to providing free teacher education to schools in the developing world. Elun has completed several projects in Rwanda, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Tanzania. Maria is also a freelance writer for the Fair Observer, focusing on issues related to educational development and Muslim women.</p>
<p>Training photography by Mannie Taya Photography.</p>
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<p>This is not the life that I thought was intended for me. At thirty-one, I sometimes look around and wonder why I’m not living in a Chicago suburb, married and raising a few lovely children.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, I’m a nomad, a teacher, a writer, a kickboxer. When I landed back in the States this year after five years of living abroad, I was not only culture-shocked, I was confused about where my life was going.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/15009539010_36c6a591f8_o_grande.jpg?12953234681967772801" style="float: none;"></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enter the gym. I’ve always gone to the gym to deal with huge life transitions – moves, break ups, family problems. I’ve always been known in my larger circle of friends as the gym addict.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I didn’t walk into a Muay Thai gym, though, until I lived in Qatar in 2010. My addiction to it grew quickly and melted into a fascination with boxing, too.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But when I walked into my current gym, Streamline, this past July, I was out of shape after months out of training. Emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted because of many life changes, I was seriously considering dropping all the dreams I’d been working so hard to accomplish.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although I’ve always managed to pick myself up before – I’m known for being pretty hard-headed and resilient – the last few years had really piled on the stress and frustration. I began to wonder if I was purposefully making things more difficult for myself by being so ambitious.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I grew up as a first generation Pakistani-American woman in a Muslim community outside of Chicago. As a Pakistani, I saw the sacrifices of my parents when they came to the US and the corruption and pain of the country I came from. As a Muslim I was taught to do the best I could to be kind to others and help those who were suffering. Listening to the stories of women in Pakistan, Tanzania, and in many other places, I could not help but become radicalized as a woman and a feminist.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/8683391498_8565e0034b_o_grande.jpg?6972535604901629971" alt=""></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because of all these factors, I spent all of my adolescence, university, and most of my professional life working on educational development with a particular focus on combating violence, child labor, and education for girls.</span></p>
<p>I suppose if I look back, I was always going to be a fighter. My mother says I’ve always had a mind of my own. In this, I’ve been no different -- I can see that the world is an ugly place but I refuse to give in to the temptation to be apathetic. I refuse to stop caring.</p>
<p>Some of us are born to fight.</p>
<p>At the moment, watching all the fear mongering on television and the worldwide debates on human rights, I realize this more and more. Some of us are born to fight. For us, everything else is what R.M. Drake says: “comedy and politics.”</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2012, I began <a href="www.teachelun.org" target="_blank" title="Teach Elun" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elun</a>, a small nonprofit dedicated to providing teacher training for free in developing countries. We started in Pakistan but quickly expanded to East Africa and Bangladesh.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/13993348464_a8437550be_o_grande.jpg?18338915765204939958" alt=""></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Elun has taken me to places I’d never imagined I’d go: Tanzanian villages where little girls ran in party dresses. The city I was born in, Karachi, teeming with people and honking cars. Bangladeshi villages where schools are built out of precarious tin sheets and children threw flowers in greeting. The Rwandan countryside at night, where I watched refugees from other countries slowly walk down roads in the dark.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most of these experiences were uncomfortable – I was dirty, hot, hungry, using squat toilets, sometimes ill. Once I even hallucinated while taking anti-malarial medication and saw a dark shape following me around for weeks.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All of these experiences were humbling. They all gave me reasons to care, people to care about and fight for every day.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/1077024_10101630554243030_270903537_o_grande.jpg?9590843954458468331" alt=""></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I carry certain dreams very close to my chest: to expand Elun and help teachers in developing countries better educate children, to fight extremism and violence, to help every child have hope, to make the world safer for young women, especially those in combat zones.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But this year, with both global and personal crises, I found myself at a loss. I actually felt as though I’d fallen to my knees on the path I had made for myself but was unable to get up. It was a terrifying feeling: I woke up every day combating crippling anxiety, self-doubt, and plain old fear. "</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can’t do this"</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> kept going through my head. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can’t do this.</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These are the little lies we often tell ourselves when we are on the cusp of something. Plenty of inspirational posters about courage gloss over the difficulty of rewriting off the narrative you are telling yourself: <em>that you will fail.</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was terrified that I would fail myself, that I would break the promises I have made to teachers and children in many different places. I was afraid that I had lost my resilience and my strength, lost my way.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Full of these anxieties and doubts, I walked into the gym a few months ago. The kickboxing class intimidated me immediately because I could feel how quickly my breath ran short. I was embarrassed at my poor health, felt defeated when I couldn’t keep up with other people and my feet bled from rotating on the floor. But I kept coming back, feeling like a complete idiot.</span></p>
<p>It is in this tenacity and determination to keep showing up that I always recalibrate myself. It’s in the smell of leather and the satisfying <i>crack </i>against the pads when you snap a kick properly. I just told myself one thing: show up. Show up and, at some point, it will begin to make sense again. <i>Show up.</i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And somewhere in all the sweat and fear, I found myself smiling because it </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">did </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">make sense. Pushing myself physically this way always brings me back to seeing myself clearly – my lack of follow-through on that hook was fear that I would lose my balance. Running outside the gym to drop a few pounds was an exercise in determination. I missed an opportunity to strike because I spent too long thinking; I had to trust my gut.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Maria_2_2_of_4_grande.jpg?6786236319423787922" style="float: none;"></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When one of the trainers suggested I could do an amateur fight, I looked at him like he was crazy. Me? Fight? The first time I’d been thrown in the ring, I’d stood there bewildered. When they’d thrown me with a sparring partner who was far better at boxing, I finally understood what it meant to be hit so hard I saw stars.</span></p>
<p>And yet, I kept coming back, determined.</p>
<p>It’s in that return that I find myself. When I do it physically, for some reason, I also begin to do it mentally. It’s hard.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I began reaching out to connections to start my development work again, began writing and found a wonderful community of Muslim female fighters. One of them, a Saudi fighter, inspired me to take up Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. Only four classes in, I spend most of my time either smothered by a much larger person or trying to figure out how to avoid being underneath the other person.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I finally agreed to an amateur fight sometime in early 2016 and now I train for more hours than I can really count and I love most of it. Sometimes there are difficult days, sometimes things don’t land right and joints are stiff, sometimes I get clobbered when sparring, but I keep telling myself to go back. My life, meanwhile, has also slowly wound itself back to a place where it’s starting to make sense.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/12239239_10103527902901110_8656251196868582483_o_1_grande.jpg?2111684506463632711" alt=""></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Perhaps I knew this would happen, but I can say honestly that I spent the last four months in a fog of indecision and anxiety. The clarity of knowing that I just had to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">hit something </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">was my only safety, as strange as it sounds.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, I’m learning to trust my own decision-making again without overthinking or being doubtful because when I do that in the ring, I get pounded. I’m learning to respond when I’m being attacked and throw combinations without being overwhelmed. I’m learning to be aggressive when it’s appropriate, to stop apologizing when I back my sparring partner into the corner, to work my body like it is a machine.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some days I am incredibly frustrated when I am corrected on the same thing several times. None of it is easy.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pursuing dreams isn’t easy, either. Making the time to write, to travel, fighting the fear that I have reached too far, dreamt too big, is hard.</span></p>
<p>But I keep coming back, in the gym and in life, because I know this is what I was born to do. Some of us are born to fight.</p>
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<p>This is the twenty-sixth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.</p>
<p>Have a story to tell? Submit it <a href="https://society-nine.myshopify.com/admin/blogs/5995472/articles/storytellers.societynine.com" title="Society Nine Storytellers Submission" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>! Tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/NtKTsCwbuCY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/69397061-maria-khwaja-born-to-be-a-fighterhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/61948421-lynn-le-we-are-enough2015-11-04T21:32:00-08:002018-04-04T14:49:26-07:00Lynn Le: We are enoughSociety NineThis is the twenty-fifth profile in our Society Nine Storytellers series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.

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<p>This is the twenty-fifth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.</p>
<p>Have a story to tell? Submit it <a href="https://society-nine.myshopify.com/admin/blogs/5995472/articles/storytellers.societynine.com" title="Society Nine Storytellers Submission" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>! Tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</p>
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<p>Fighting isn’t always physical or contained within sport. Though my passion for mixed martial arts itself has led me to this place now - as the founder of a woman’s combat sports brand - the truth is I had some life experiences along the way that always instilled the fight in me.</p>
<p>In the startup world, we celebrate that story about being “ramen profitable” in the early days, especially once you’ve achieved increased revenue year after year; closed fundraising rounds with coveted valuations; legions of loyal customers. You could say I knew what “ramen profitable” was at an early age. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I grew up in a very humble, hardworking Vietnamese immigrant household where we knew how to stretch dollars, always look presentable (because as my dad always said, you never knew what opportunities could be presented and you needed to look put together) and be fed. My parents were entrepreneurial with everything in their lives, from the household budget to what it was going to take to make the next professional move in order to improve the lives of their kids. We eventually made our way to a comfortable, middle class lifestyle that was a result of my parents’ devotion and conviction to provide. Once it was time for me to start making decisions that actually mattered - college, possible majors, cities to live in, part time jobs and internships (prom fashion and dates don’t count) - the fire in my belly was lit. Honor and a duty to make my family proud were all reasons to fight. </span></p>
<p>To fight, means to live with intent.</p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The earliest lesson I learned about fighting was watching my mom’s two-time bout with cancer - first with breast, second with liver. It just about wrecked me. I now thank every single day that she survived her fights, and continues to giggle and ride this entrepreneurial journey with me. But to this day, I still struggle talking about it, because I learned at a very young age (I was 13 and 18, respectively, when each cancer hit) how quickly life could be taken away, and how quickly the most important thing in the world could be taken away. </span></p>
<p>Business and professional successes, career, salary - all those things are man-made. You can re-create opportunities lost or failed. A mother’s love is not something you can re-create after it’s gone. Those experiences required me to fight to never lose sight of that amidst my pursuits.</p>
<p>As I entered college, it was a tough mental endeavour. My mom wanted me to thrive in school, and be happy - right as she was in the middle of recovery from her liver transplant. I was going to fight to make her proud. Within the first two weeks of school, I declared a double major, had a work-study job and an additional job - drinking as much coffee as possible. When I speak to entrepreneurship undergrad or MBA classes, it’s the number one job I encourage everyone to pick up. This job entailed playing up your “I’m a student” card to get as many FREE or heavily discounted memberships to business networking groups, conferences and events as possible, pitching <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">yourself</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, creating relationships (I said </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">relationships</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, not ask these people if they’re looking to hire) and collecting as many business cards as you can. Your job then is to follow up, Google stalk them to learn their business history, find correlations of potential career and passion interests with you, set up a coffee meeting and kindly ask for just a half hour of their time to learn about how they got to where they are. I fought to make a name for myself - it wasn’t going to be through getting straight A’s, in a private, closed off institution and stacking on campus credentials. It was going to be through the strength of my handshake, the sincerity of my “asks”, and my humble gratitude.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I graduated college, I was armed with curiosity, ambition and a desire to constantly challenge myself. It’s engrained in my personality. On the fitness front, I was fresh off of running the Amsterdam marathon and learning fencing in France where I studied abroad, and I was looking for my next challenge.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I started Krav Maga I wasn’t really sure how I was going to do. Short all my life and scared of my own shadow, embracing the sport felt daunting at first. </span></p>
<p>It took a hard punch to the face the first time I sparred to realize that I can get back up. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was that kid who, one slight nudge on the nose and BOOM. Bloody nose. So you can only imagine the sight, right? In my head, getting back up was one of the biggest decisions I ever made. Do I allow my embarrassment, mild hurt and the sight of blood sit me out? Or do I get back up and pick my opponent apart? </span><b>I went into panther mode. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I planted the balls of my feet into the ground like a saber toothed tiger.</span></p>
<p>I found my groove - pump fake jab, then a combo I was really getting good at, a low left straight punch to the body, then an overhand right straight. Because I was short, with enough speed it totally caught the tall guys off guard. Being that my training partner was fighting in his heels, surely enough the overhand right rocked him backwards and he nearly fell. The round was soon over and my trainer came up to me and said just loud enough so that I would hear - I’ll never forget it - “That was so f***ing badass.” I never stopped since that day. I worked towards my brown belt in Krav Maga - one of the proudest moments in my life, taking that three-day, grueling test. I earned the respect of my owners as a result of my energy, discipline and push I gave the other students, enough that they gave me my own kickboxing class to teach. I also built the most amazing camaraderie of women who challenged, supported, and uplifted one another at every turn.</p>
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<p>Fighting and being an entrepreneur have a lot of parallels. As a woman and a company founder, it’s taught me a LOT. The most important thing it’s taught me, above all else, is that power is mine to define. Not my size, gender, or background.</p>
<p>Fighting helped me take ownership of what is inherently beautiful about my god-given body and mind. True femininity is pure resilience and unbridled strength - in and out of the gym. Fighting gave me the confidence to overcome personal demons - from personal tragedies in life and in interpersonal relationships; to my own mental demons fabricated in my own brain.</p>
<p>I will always be imperfect - we all are - but now, I’m proud to take ownership of my weaknesses and be vulnerable. It’s helped me be a better entrepreneur, manager, daughter, sister, girlfriend and friend, because despite the glitz and the glam of ambition and “the hustle,” I am still human. And when the people on the other side of these roles I play see this, everything thrives.</p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What’s thriving in my life right now is Society Nine. The name was inspired by Title IX - where women have come since fighting for the right to play in college, to now professionally fighting amongst men on the mainstream stage, and where the future is headed for us as female athletes. What are we capable of? This society represents the modern female fighter - she can do anything. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What drives me every morning is knowing that Society Nine has the potential to unite women everywhere under the belief that we can uplift each other instead of tear each other down, and that our collective power is in our ability to embrace femininity through pure strength and empowerment. </span></p>
<p>We are enough. I fight for every woman to recognize that.</p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.4; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11156373_10203684653908479_920226915594666125_n.jpg?oh=f7f4b21364473980081d01591016238d&amp;oe=56B073B3" style="float: left;" width="477" height="477"></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.4; font-size: 15px;">Lynn Le is the Founder/CEO of Society Nine. Aside from her passion and mission to build a brand for kickass women everywhere, she also really enjoys mentoring college and high school students on entrepreneurship and career building. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.4; font-size: 15px;">She hopes to create a lasting impact in not just the world of women's combat sports but women's athletics. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.4; font-size: 15px;">In her spare time, she loves to train, take voice lessons and cook. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.4; font-size: 15px;">Follow her on Instagram: <a href="instagram.com/lynn_le" target="_blank" title="Lynn Le - Instagram" rel="noopener noreferrer">@lynn_le</a></span></p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/8hiGBlxB0ek" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/61948421-lynn-le-we-are-enoughhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17678800-jarrett-arthur-powerful-enough-to-overcome-it-all2015-03-10T07:54:00-07:002018-04-04T14:51:20-07:00Jarrett Arthur: Powerful enough to overcome it all.Society Nine

This is the fifteenth profile in our Society Nine Storytellers series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.

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This is the fifteenth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. <br>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span>contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.
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Have you ever hit something? I don’t mean have you ever slapped something, or pushed something, or flicked your hand out in imitation of a punch. I mean have you ever hit something? Have you ever cocked your body like the hammer of a pistol, felt the ignition of gunpowder from the depths of your bowels, exploded the ammunition of a clenched fist straight as a bullet until it lands devastatingly solid with every cell and fiber of your being behind it? Blinding, violent, and gorgeous like a supernova? <br><span>The first time you feel it your brain has a mini stroke. “Whoa. What the fuck was that?” it asks. And you reply. “That was me. Yes, that was me.” </span><br><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/Jarrett-elbow-on-ground-2_grande.jpg?925320447088594735"><br><span>It’s the true definition of what it means to be alive wrapped up in a hundredth of a second. And it changes people. All people. Even self-proclaimed pacifists. If you are a woman it will change you fundamentally, softly stoking the smoldering embers of something old, primal, elemental. It’s in you from a bygone era, just blanketed and hidden and suffocated either by what you believe you shouldn’t be, by what you’re told you’re not, or by what you think you aren’t. </span><br><br><span>In an age of empowerment it’s the undeniable proof that you don’t need anyone or anything to give you power. It’s there. In you. Already. And THAT is why I do what I do. The opportunity to coax that, sometimes like a lamb, other times like a lion, out of a woman; to see that moment when she experiences it for herself for the very first time; like a hundred million lightbulbs going off at once. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed and I get to see it again, and again, and again. And every time I watch it happen to someone else, I relive the moment that it happened to me. </span><br><meta charset="utf-8"><br><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/photo-5-1024x768_grande.jpg?925320447088594735"><br><span>I took a Krav Maga class by accident. Well, not entirely by accident. I was pressured into taking it by my mom who insisted I learn how to defend myself. I was fresh out of college, and right in the midst of a lengthy laundry list of self-destructive and dangerous disorders from casual drug use, to not so casual bulimia, from debilitating anxiety, to a period of several years when I cut myself every 2 weeks from ankle to hip with a paring knife. </span><br><br><span>Different people struggle for different reasons, but my demons stalked me into young adulthood from a childhood weighed down by an all-encompassing powerlessness. Powerless to keep my father living with us. Powerless to convince my physician mother to come home from work. Responsible for a younger sister but never equipped with the necessary skills to care for her. Committed to doing the best that I could, but convinced that I was constantly on the verge of some apocalyptic mistake.</span> <br><img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/photo-21-1024x821_grande.jpg?925320447088594735"><br>For me, the realization of personal power through that very first closed fist to pad contact, in that very first Krav Maga class, quite literally saved my life. It was a means for me to come to terms with my rage in a constructive way; it was a means for me to begin the journey of leaving a damaged and outdated version of myself behind, and step into a profound trust in my ability to survive the darkest of moments. Because that’s what this training really is, at all levels. Fun, sure. Fitness, sure. But at the core, it’s putting you in the darkest of moments and watching as you prove to yourself that you are powerful enough to overcome it all. It won’t be easy, it won’t be pretty. But you are powerful enough to overcome it all.
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<img src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/DSC05138_RET-750x1024_grande.jpg?925320447088594735"><br>Jarrett Arthur is the founder and chief instructor of M.A.M.A.® (Mothers Against Malicious Acts), Customized Self-Defense for Women, and other specialized self-defense programs for women, children, and childcare givers. She is one of the highest-ranking female Krav Maga black belt instructors in the United States. Jarrett’s passion is customizing her self-defense training and education programs to most effectively benefit the emotional, physical, and personal wants and needs of the women and children she works with. <br>Follow Jarrett on Social Media! <br>Check out her website: <a href="jarrettarthur.com" title="Jarrett Arthur Customized Self Defense">Jarrett Arthur Customized Self Defense<br></a>Follow her on <a href="instagram.com/trainwithjarrett">Instagram</a><br>Like her on <a href="facebook.com/trainwithjarrett">Facebook</a><br>Follow her on <a href="twitter.com/trainwithjarrett">Twitter</a> <br><strong>Photos provided by Jarrett Arthur</strong>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/HKu8K4K3lJM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17678800-jarrett-arthur-powerful-enough-to-overcome-it-allhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17611424-sanny-rider-the-fight-to-be-me2015-03-04T11:38:00-08:002018-04-04T14:30:53-07:00Sanny Rider: The fight to be me.Society NineThis is the fourteenth profile in our Society Nine Storytellers series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.

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<p>This is the fourteenth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.</p>
<p>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span>contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</p>
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<p>Picture two bloody knees scraped mercilessly by unforgiving pavement. Scabbed elbows punctuated by bits of gravel. Shins discolored by deep purple and blue bruises so numerous you could draw a constellation by connecting the dots. Atop this body is a jaw set firm and teeth grit steadily, unwilling to give up. This was me in the first grade.</p>
<p>No, I was not in fistfight. I was playing basketball with the fourth grade boys.<img alt="" src="//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5455/files/IMG_4914_grande.JPG?2566803114980552828" style="float: none;"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;">At home, my dad would wrestle with my two sisters and me, often letting us overpower him after putting up a good fight. He made me feel invincible.</span>I came home from school one day, my little body battered and bruised, but satisfied that I played a good, scrappy game during recess. My mom on the other hand was concerned. She set an appointment with my teacher to see what was really going on at school, thinking perhaps I had been bullied or fighting. “She’s a big person trapped in a little body,” my teacher informed my mom.</p>
<p>Stepping on the basketball court at recess, I carried the same confidence. Sure I was barely 3 feet tall and 40 pounds soaking wet, but I could mow down my dad no problem. These fourth grade boys stood no chance.</p>
<p>Eventually, I earned the nickname “Sonic boom,” after the popular videogame character Sonic the Hedgehog, who plowed through and jumped over anything standing in his way.</p>
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<p>I didn’t comprehend it then, but on that court, I was fighting. My fight was to be me.</p>
<p>On another basketball court, this time with high school girls, I was told that freshmen (me) would probably not make it on the varsity team’s starting lineup. I took that as a personal attack. Leading up to tryouts, I woke early each morning to run sprints, drill shots, and hone my ball handling skills. When the starting lineup was announced, my name was called.</p>
<p>I graduated college in three years with a degree in English and set my sights on the next goal: become an officer in the United States Air Force.</p>
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<p>My own presumptions made me believe that I was not smart enough or talented enough to be selected for Officer Training School (OTS) in the Air Force. My parents challenged me that if my mindset was the only thing holding me back from applying for the Air Force, I should go for it. I did.</p>
<p>When I arrived at the facility to take their standardized test, I was asked what my college degree was. “I don’t think we take English majors,” was the officer’s response. “Let me know if you get in,” he directed, casually. About an hour after I received the call, I sent him an email informing him I was indeed selected.</p>
<p>Again, I had done what many thought was not possible. And it felt very satisfying.</p>
<p>About a month later, I opened a letter from the Surgeon General communicating the news, “You are disqualified for medical reasons.” I was crushed. I thought about all the hard work I had put into this career and how unfair it felt that despite my physical and mental fitness, I was disqualified. I knew I could out-soldier even some of the guys in my class but I was not given that chance. I applied for a waiver and that was denied.</p>
<p>A million questions and regrets hit me. “If I was just a little taller, then maybe I would not have been disqualified.” “If I had just not told them about it, I would be an officer by now.” Self-doubt and questions of “why” plagued me. The line: “You are disqualified,” in all its coldness and finality haunted me.</p>
<p>I’m not proud of my reaction, but it did set me on a journey that shook me deep. I realized that I had let other people, institutions, and even society label me. I was driven by a desire to prove that even though I was small and young, I was strong, quick, motivated, intelligent, focused, and whatever else was expected at the moment. I did it because I assumed that this is what people wanted from me, not because I believed that is who I am or what I could do.</p>
<p>The best family and friends helped me understand that putting my identity and future in society’s hands while pursing unfounded assumptions is tiring, unfulfilling, and no way to live. I needed to stop fighting who I was and start embracing it.</p>
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<p>If I’d assumed that tiny first graders could not play basketball with the big boys, I would not have dared it. If I’d assumed that no freshmen started on the varsity basketball team, I would not have trained my butt off to get there. If I’d assumed that the Air Force did not select candidates who had a degree in English, I would not have applied. I am not defined by what someone says I can or cannot do.</p>
<p>A Surgeon General does not define me. A college degree does not define me.</p>
<p>What I do is not who I am. I have a brown belt in Krav Maga, but that is not who I am. My vocation at present is an executive secretary, but that is not who I am.</p>
<p>I am a fighter. I fight myself every day to be me. I fight to forget about who others say I should be and instead be comfortable with who I was designed to be.</p>
<p>In a few months, I’m reapplying for a medical waiver that will allow me to serve in the Air Force. I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I am determined that I will not let it dictate who I am and how I live.</p>
<p>My challenge to you is to do the same: refuse the labels put on you and embrace who you were made to be.</p>
<p>So what do you fight for?</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Sanny Rider is passionate about fitness and has completed crazy challenges such as the GoRuck Challenge and Light, Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, and Phase A certification course from Krav Maga Worldwide. She was voted “Most likely to succeed” by her high school peers and has accepted that she doesn’t have to live up to their standards to be a success.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Photos by Sanny Rider</strong></p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/p9MNPkzTAJo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17611424-sanny-rider-the-fight-to-be-mehttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401540-andrea-gurecki-belle-of-the-brawl2015-02-19T10:54:00-08:002018-04-04T14:38:32-07:00Andrea Gurecki: Belle of the brawl.Society NineMore]]>
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This is the thirteenth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. <br>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.
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My name is Andrea Gurecki, I am 31 years old and was born, raised and reside in the Boston, Massachusetts area. I’ve always been an athlete. However, growing up in middle class city burb my sports tended to be more team oriented such as baseball, softball and field hockey. I even went on to play lacrosse for a NCAA D.II University. <strong>I began boxing at the age of 23 when I was working for a team of high powered attorneys and real estate professionals.</strong> It became quite the game changer from my life of books, sport excused classes and sleep. I started off like any other “older” newbie into the sport by taking fighter conditioning classes, moving along to mitts with a trainer who would over time be a life long friend and then eventually getting <strong>wrapped up into tagging along for Thursday night fight nights at a local club. </strong> <br>Looking back on the past eight years I cant believe what a struggle it was to actually get from point A (local sports and fitness enthusiast) to point B (a fighter). <strong>My blonde hair, blue eyes and extreme femininity (for once in my life) really worked as a disadvantage;</strong> <strong>I felt as though I wasn’t taken seriously the countless times I asked to do a smoker or get trained for a real fight.</strong> <strong>It wasn’t much long after I realized sometimes you cant ask, you just have to take, despite all the negativity that would come along with it. </strong> <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-633" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/image5.jpeg" alt="image" width="360" height="463"><br> At age 30, I was living a different life as 23 year old me. A year ago I had and still do have the mentality that I can do anything I want in life. I can change careers, I can be friends with all types of people, I can see the positive in every situation, I can change careers again. I had just turned 30 when I had learned of a <strong>boxing charity event called <a href="http://haymakersforhope.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">Haymakers for Hope</span></a> ‘Belles of the Brawl’, which benefits cancer research by literally knocking out cancer</strong>. If you’ve never stepped in the ring for a sanctioned boxing bout, then you are able to participate by reading my story. Participants usually enter into this event with a story and a loaded gun full of willing donators that you and the person you are fighting in honor of have spiritually touched in some way. My story is a very near and dear one and with it I was picked to fight in the event. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-630" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/image3-1024x576.jpeg" alt="image" width="770" height="433"><br> With a heavy heart I was more than happy &amp; appreciative to announce the opportunity to fight in honor of an incredible woman by the name of <strong>Bella “Bunny” Hayes</strong>. Opportunities arise out of times of crisis, so it seems. In the early 2000’s Bunny had a masectomy with a small amount of treatment to prevent the inevitable after pre-cancerous cells were found. In February 2012 Bunny was diagnosed with Stage 3 Melanoma; August 2013 she was said to be cancer free &amp; as of December 2013 the cancer had spread to her spine, spleen &amp; lungs. At the time she had been given six months to a year of life left. <br>Bunny is the mother of one my nearest, dearest and greatest friends, Eileen Hayes. For some reason, she’s been a really big fan of me so of course I had to show her, the best I could, what she means to me (Ya know, by trying to beat some one up… clearly, I was leaning towards solid attributes). Bunny was a really unique soul that put everybody else in front of her so when I had told her I was going to do it in Bunny’s honor it was like I told her Barbara Walters wanted to do an interview with her on live television. This event meant everything to her in the sense that she knew her time was limited and it was a distraction that brought the issue to the attention of others, inevitably bringing those she was going to leave behind closer together. <br>She was right though, the night of the fight separated real friends from fake friends and made me realize what was important in my life. It reassured me that win or lose, I actually conquered so many things in such a short amount of time. <strong>I felt like I did something for somebody.. like really really did something. I gave somebody hope.</strong> On October 2nd, her husband, son and daughter along with my entire family, my college friends, my high school friends, my gym friends, and about 1,500 other folks watched me follow through with it all. <strong>I say win or lose, it didn’t matter; but it sure did feel good to see the win box checked on my USA boxing passbook.</strong> And that, my friends, is what started my competition fire. Bunny. Bunny died exactly one month before the fight. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-631" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/image.png" alt="image" width="640" height="360"> <br><strong>There was an underlying passion that was uprooted during training for Haymakers for Hope and that was training to compete and competing in itself. </strong> I wanted to have done personally better for myself. I carried the next few months post fight to train for a nationally known competition at a local level called the <strong>New England Golden Gloves</strong> in Lowell, Massachusetts starting January 15th, 2015. Everybody in the area knows of the competition and I grew up holding the utmost honor for the people that fought in it. <strong>Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler &amp; Micky Ward all started their careers in the New England Golden Gloves.</strong> My father used to bring me to the fights as a child, heck he brought me in 2014. Needless to say the thought of me fighting in this competition was a little bit beyond the scope I had planned for myself. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-634" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/image6.jpeg" alt="image" width="640" height="634"> <br>I was lucky enough to have 5 girls in my 125lb Novice Division. I was able to have three fights over the course of three weeks. <strong>In my preliminary fight I walked away with a first round TKO, Semi-Finals a split decision W and in finals a respectfully took the L. </strong> I’ll be back next year. Having the competition being only two short weeks ago I am currently training for a handful of smoke bouts for local St. Patrick Day events as well as weighing my options out for Spring or Summer cards. I’m going to be a stronger fighter because of that L.
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<img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-632" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/image4.jpeg" alt="image" width="700" height="466"><br> <strong>Andrea Gurecki</strong> is a Real Estate Leasing Professional and an Amateur Boxer in the 125lb novice division out of Boston, MA. She was a finalist in the 2015 Central New England Golden Glove Championship and is current training for an upcoming fight in the Spring. She enjoys spending as much time as she can with her family, participating in road races, perusing the cheese counter at Whole Foods and being a positive and active member in her local communities whether it be through youth athletics, charities or social events. <br><strong>Photos provided by Andrea Gurecki</strong>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/E6NgmHcQ-jY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401540-andrea-gurecki-belle-of-the-brawlhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401548-keka-schermerhorn-in-honor-of-the-women-before-me2015-02-17T14:43:00-08:002018-04-04T14:38:43-07:00Keka Schermerhorn: In honor of the women before me.Society NineMore]]>
<p><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-618" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/KS-1.png" alt="KS 1" width="909" height="706"></p>
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This is the twelfth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. <br>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span> </a>– tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.
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I spent the first fifteen years of my life in Brazil. When I was seven, my mom kept me home from school so that we could watch a historical presidential inauguration. That inauguration marked the end of an authoritarian military dictatorship and the restoration of civilian government. <br>During the dictatorship, there were arbitrary arrests, imprisonments without trials, kidnapping, exile and torture of any who would oppose the regime. Dilma Rousseff, a militant member of the <i>COLINA</i> (<i>National Liberation Command</i>), was arrested, held captive and tortured, for the better part of three years. <br>Decades later, I would cast one of millions of votes to elect Dilma Rousseff, the first female President of Brazil. <br><b>She is a fighter.</b> <br>Growing up, I loved watching The Incredible Hulk, The Secrets of Isis and Wonder Woman; reveling in the fact that while Bruce Banner needed gamma rays to become a badass, Isis and Wonder Woman only needed a costume change. <br><b>They were fighters.</b> <br>My grandma gave birth to seven children without ever setting foot in a hospital. She made an arduous 1,500 mile trek from the desolate northeast of Brazil due south to the big city of São Paulo — losing a child along the way — fighting for a better life for her family. <br>In the city, she cleaned houses, traveling hours by bus to and from work. <br>She didn’t get the chance to go to school past the 6th grade, but I credit her wisdom for being where I am today. <br>“Work dignifies” was often followed by “If you are idle, you will rust.” <br>Even after retirement, she insisted in working around the house. I remember when we bought her a washing machine, and she wouldn’t let the delivery men unload it from the truck. <br>“Are you crazy? I’d rather wash my clothes by hand,” which she did, well into her eighties. <br><b>She was a fighter.</b> <br>When I was nine, my mother divorced my birth father, and we moved into a communal home. My mother and I shared a small room, just off the kitchen where we shared a bunk bed. <br>Just like her mother before her, mine worked long hours, traveling by bus and train, so that she could keep me clothed, well-fed and attending a private school. <br>For years, my mother had kidney stones, a painful and often debilitating condition. She would often need to get injections for the pain and sometimes spend the night at the hospital. <br>Not once did I hear her complain. Once an episode was over, she would do her best Ella Fitzgerald impression; and start all over again. <br>She too made a trek, 8,000 miles due northwest to America, fighting for a better life for the two of us. <br>In her forties, she enrolled in school, honing her language and accounting skills, positioning herself for better opportunities. <br><b>She is a fighter. </b> <br>I moved to the United States when I was fifteen, with a less-than-rudimentary knowledge of the language. <br>With education being so important for my family, I managed to cram a decade’s worth of knowledge into 3 months of studying; be accepted into one of the best high schools in the nation, and snag a scholarship to boot. <br>I was a member of the boys’ wrestling team. <br>I hit a heavy bag and I lifted weights. <br>I worked construction. <br>I manage an autoimmune disease and chronic pain without narcotics. <br>I earned a college degree in economics, politics and art history. <br>I’m a writer, a photographer, a professional chef and a coach. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-619" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/KS-and-Safiya.png" alt="KS and Safiya" width="814" height="803"> <br>I do these things, not because I have something to prove. I do them because the women before me fought hard to make sure I could. <br><b>I am a fighter.</b>
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<img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-617" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/KS2.png" alt="KS2" width="463" height="692"> <br><strong>Keka </strong>(like Becca, but with a K)<strong> Schermerhorn</strong> is a professional chef and lifelong athlete who believes in a holistic approach to fitness. As a child she took ballet classes; in high school she earned a spot on the boy’s wrestling team. She has coached kids and adults through high-ropes courses, taught infants to swim and was a certified lifeguard for the Special Olympics. Keka has always been enamored with movement. After college, Keka relied on ballet, boxing and kettlebells as a way to stay fit. When a CrossFit affiliate moved into her gym, she decided to give it a try, and quickly fell in love with the community. Her no-nonsense approach to health and fitness, keen eye for efficient movement and knack for strategy make her a valuable coach. <br>Keka has earned her Level 1, Level 2 and CrossFit Kids Certificates. She is responsible for the CrossFit Kids program at Reebok CrossFit 5th Ave and CrossFit Union Square in New York City. <br>She is also the Head Writer in the North East for the Reebok CrossFit Games, and a contributing writer for CrossFit Games, CrossFit Community, Greatist and Pretty Fit. <br><strong>Photos by Jason Capracotta</strong> <br><strong>Follow Keka on social media!</strong> <br><a href="http://gypsyfuel.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Gypsy Fuel</strong></span></a> <br><strong>Instagram: <a href="instagram.com/gypsyfuel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">@gypsyfuel</span></a></strong> <br><strong>Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/keka_like_becca" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">@keka_like_becca</span></a></strong>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/6eoTEbJoB5k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401548-keka-schermerhorn-in-honor-of-the-women-before-mehttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401560-asha-dahya-thanks-for-making-me-a-fighter2015-02-17T11:59:00-08:002018-04-04T14:38:50-07:00Asha Dahya: Thanks for making me a fighter.Society Nine
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<p><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-607" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/1-682x1024.jpg" alt="-1" width="682" height="1024"></p>
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This is the eleventh profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports, media and culture in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. <br>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.
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When I was thinking of title ideas for this blog post I immediately thought of the Christina Aguilera’s song ‘Fighter’. <br>She emotionally sings about her triumph through pain, and the very last words in the song are “thanks for making me a fighter.” <br>The more I thought about it, the more they completely summed up the essence of my story. <strong>You see, I’ve always been a fighter, but I haven’t always been given credit to the difficult situations I’ve been through for making me one.</strong> <br>In 2008 I moved to Los Angeles from Sydney, Australia, in order to further my career as a TV host and pursue bigger opportunities. I also had a boyfriend at the time and my move to LA seemed coincidental to my burgeoning relationship. <br>I had met this man (who I won’t name, because this isn’t about him, <strong>it’s about me</strong>) in 2006, and the guy who I married in Feb 2009 was a completely different person to who I ended up divorcing in 2013. <br>When we met we were both in our mid 20s, full of hope, ambition, love, and youth. He had a tough upbringing living with a single mother who ended up being married multiple times to abusive men, and he also battled a serious drug addiction (which took on many iterations during our relationship). <br>Now that I can be honest with myself, I saw the red flags. I saw the complete breakdowns he would have back when we were dating over the simplest things. He had called me names, I brushed them off. It was love, wouldn’t you say? <br>When we got married, I was in the middle of applying for a visa, so that took all my focus. We were heavily involved as leaders of our church and no one cared to see how we were doing as a married couple along the way. <br><strong>Cut to the end of 2011, I had had enough.</strong> Neglect of me and what I cared about, compounding addiction fueled by lies and secrecy, verbal and mental abuse which had obliterated my self-esteem and confidence, and money troubles had worn me down. I wanted out. <br>So I got out. But that wasn’t the end. I was told I was going to hell because I refused to stay in a toxic situation where I remained the emotional and verbal punching bag for a guy who refused to face up to his addiction. I was told by him and his parents they were going to report me to immigration for fraud, because I refused to continue to enable their drug addict son who they were in denial about. I was told if I ever set foot in my church again the pastoral team would all band together and kick me out – because how dare I, <strong>a woman, stand up for myself and demand change</strong> yet walk away if I don’t get it (just an aside: no one at my previous church ever made me feel like that, it was only a threat from my ex). <br>I was told I was going to get taken to court and sued for alimony because I had a TV job at the time and he thought he was owed half my salary so he could blow even more money on his filthy addiction. <br>I have no family in LA, only friends. It broke my heart to hear my parents crying over the phone all the way from Australia because they couldn’t protect me from what was happening. <br>I spent the entire year of 2012 waking up crying and instantly feeing depressed the moment I opened my eyes. My career the few years previous wasn’t exactly going anywhere great. I now see that my toxic living situation was the reason. I was basically waiting for a savior to come along, give me a phone call and say I had the job of my dreams. I had a few moderate opportunities here and there, and I had started to work on a blogging side project. <br>Every dollar I made went into the joint account I had with my ex husband, and every dollar I put in there was whittled away by his drug addiction, video game obsession and complete and utter disrespect of the fact that my family lived overseas and I might’ve liked to go and visit them from time to time. <br>He emptied out that bank account one day without me knowing, and that was the last straw for me. I started divorce proceedings. The first step is sending paperwork which includes a restraining order prohibiting him from doing anything harmful to me. My friend and counselor at the time, (who had been through the exact situation with her husband many years ago) gave me the idea to start divorce proceedings because it would make my ex do one of two things: recognize how serious I was about wanting change, or carry on the way he was proving that he doesn’t actually care about me. <br><strong>Can you guess which one he did?</strong> <br>Eight months later, in February 2013, I was officially divorced. Just like that, no fanfare, no celebration, just gone… <br>He was physically cut off and gone from my life, the constant stream of abusive texts eventually stopped, the nasty emails from his parents to mine had stopped, and the threats had also stopped. But it was only the beginning of my journey. <br>I lost a lot of weight from stress and anxiety. I didn’t sleep very well. I started dating another guy who I don’t know how he stuck around even to this day because I was such a mess. I didn’t eat properly. I cried all the time. I didn’t take care of myself at all. <br><strong>However, my finances started getting back to a place where I felt in control. My job opportunities improved. I started going to a different church and moved to a new city to start fresh.</strong> <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-608" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2-709x1024.jpg" alt="-2" width="709" height="1024"> <br><strong>I launched my website <a href="http://girltalkhq.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">GirlTalkHQ.com</span></a> in November 2012</strong> and knew more than ever what my mission was with it. A few years earlier I had somewhat of an idea to create female-centric content online, but there was no purpose or passion behind it. <br><strong>After going through a divorce and seeing so many other women in my life go through similar and other really difficult situations, <em>I was really shocked at the lack of mainstream media content that catered to us.</em></strong> It was all about superficiality, Kim Kardashian, Real Housewives, fashion, beauty, etc etc. <strong>Where were the websites where real women could share their stories of pain in the hope that it brought solace to another? Where were the platforms that focused on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>positivity, encouragement and sisterhood</em></span>, rather than competitiveness, bitchiness and hatred?</strong> <br>I realized more than ever what my goal was: <strong>to use my 10+ years of experience in the media to create something meaningful for women.</strong> I didn’t have a huge goal in sight, my aim was just to start and see where it goes. <br>It was the best decision I ever made. Slowly, as the months passed with this blog and I built it up to become the brand it is today, <strong>I recognized one key thing: none of this would’ve been possible had it not been for my horrible gut-wrenching divorce that I fought and clawed through to regain my sense of power.</strong> <br>But I also should say how blessed I feel that I got out relatively easy. Others are not so lucky. There have been many times I have pondered writing to my ex and giving myself closure, but I never know what I would actually say without dredging up the past. <br>I don’t think I will ever write to him, but right here, I want to publicly acknowledge that I am thanking not just him but my situation, and God, <strong>for making me a fighter.</strong> I didn’t go to court, I didn’t get taken for more money than what was in our joint account, I didn’t get deported, <strong>I am here living and thriving and believing I have a wonderful life ahead of me.</strong> <br>My focus today, while also on my career, is to take care of my health. One of the biggest things I learned was that stress catches up with you. I am 31 going on 32 and I have noticed the difference in my energy levels, my fitness, my skin, my hair, my eyes etc. <strong>My next big goal is to make health a priority because <em>I cannot be a help to anyone else if I can’t help myself. </em></strong> <br>I never want to go through my divorce situation again. Ever. But I am thankful. I would not be the fighter I am without it. They say <strong>“smooth seas never made a skilled sailor”</strong>. I can 100% attest to that. So in the words of Christina Aguilera and songwriter Linda Perry who helped her write that iconic tune, “thanks for making me a fighter.”
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<strong><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-609" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Asha_Dahya_large-720x1024.jpg" alt="Asha_Dahya_large" width="720" height="1024"></strong> <br><strong>Asha Dahya</strong> is the creator and current editor-in-chief of <strong>GirlTalkHQ</strong>. She started this women’s daily news website with strong, empowered millennial women in mind. After working in the media for over a decade in Australia, the UK and in Los Angeles (Disney, Fox, MTV, Nickelodeon, ABC, TV Guide, Myspace.com, MSN.com, Nine Network Australia, Fashion TV and more), she wanted to see more from what she was consuming on a daily basis. She realized there was a huge disparity in the way women were represented in the media compared to men, so instead of complaining, she did something about it. <br>Her passion in life is to use her platform for good: To inspire my generation of young women to live their best life possible. She believes media is the most powerful form of communication, and today we have the tools to each be creators, influencers and tastemakers in our social networks. <br><strong>Follow GirlTalkHQ on social media!<br> Twitter <span class="s1"><a href="https://twitter.com/GirlTalkHQ"><span style="color: #993366;">@GirlTalkHQ</span><br> </a></span>Facebook <span class="s2"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GirlTalkhq"><span style="color: #993366;">GirlTalkHQ</span><br> </a></span>Instagram <span class="s2"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/girltalkhq"><span style="color: #993366;">@Girltalkhq</span><br> </a></span>Subscribe on <span class="s3"><span class="s4"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GirlTalkHQ"><span style="color: #993366;">Youtube</span></a></span></span></strong> <br><strong>Photos provided by Asha Dahya</strong>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/HCv0Lg2lGaY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401560-asha-dahya-thanks-for-making-me-a-fighterhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401572-terry-wrobel-fight-to-be-all-you-can-be2015-02-12T09:05:00-08:002018-04-04T14:38:56-07:00Terry Wrobel: Fight to be all you can be.Society Nine
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This is the tenth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. <br>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.
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<strong>I came of age in the mid 1960’s before Title IX mandated organized girls’ sports and gave opportunities to young women I could not have imagined, but also about the same time the President’s Counsel on Physical Fitness and Sport was a major guiding principle of physical education in public schools.</strong> We had no organized sports but were compelled to race to pick up little blocks at one end of the gym and replace them at the other end all while being timed. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-591" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-12-08.52.39.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-12 08.52.39" width="827" height="616"><br> <span style="line-height: 1.5;">I was lucky enough as a young girl, to have the opportunity to try various athletic activities, such as ballet and horseback riding, but whenever I felt myself to be inferior, I was allowed to quit so I never improved. In high school the President’s Counsel program called for us to run a mile in a certain number of minutes, but never explained why it was important to do so. And being somewhat overweight and very stubborn-this latter quality being one I hold dear to this day-some friends and I walked that mile in over 14 minutes, and got in trouble for taking so long.</span> <br>Once in college, I decided to try some intramural sports, mainly softball and volleyball, and also became more interested in playing tennis with my father, who was an exceptional player. Admittedly – again given the times – <strong>he focused his own sports prowess on my brothers</strong>, though he did seem genuinely enthusiastic when playing with me. And I improved enough that it became enjoyable for me to play. <br>Over the years I participated in organized sports, mainly city league softball and volleyball, even gaining some success as a catcher on a winning softball team. But being a bit of a loner, I realized that, while the team sport thing was fun, I much preferred those athletic endeavors I could do on my own or with others, but not relying ON others to “win.” Thus I fell in love with trekking and snorkeling, skiing and Tai Chi, Aerobic dance and Qi Gong.<img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-592" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-12-08.55.41.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-12 08.55.41" width="923" height="617"> <br>I went to graduate school, studying, of all things, Physical Education and Exercise Physiology. I took advanced tennis every quarter just so I could play tennis on a regular basis. I was in the best shape I had ever been in and felt great and very fit. I remember running into an old friend from high school one time, when visiting home, and telling him what I was doing. I will never forget his remark:<strong> “but Terry, you were never very athletic in high school!” </strong>My first job out of graduate school was in a hospital working with cardiac patients, helping them to get in better shape after heart attacks or bypass surgery. <strong>I was their “coach,” fighting for them and with them to get healthier, physically and mentally. My role as a fighter was born, both for myself and for the patients with whom I worked.</strong> <br>By the time I went to medical school at 31, exercise and sport were integral parts of my being and I had finally understood that exercise and fitness are not only means to a healthier end, but also the ends in themselves: <strong>that amazing feeling of being out of breath at the end of a long hike, the exhaustion after a strenuous kickboxing workout, the mental clarity that comes from pushing myself to go a little longer or a little harder.</strong><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-593" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-12-08.58.01.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-12 08.58.01" width="826" height="615"> <br>This isn’t meant to be a chronology of my life but rather a glimpse at the path of how I became a fighter. <strong>Whether it is to be agile and balanced, or fit and strong, I fight to be all I can be, to improve from here to another level</strong>; to maintain that mental clarity; to help those who cannot, or don’t know how to, fight for themselves; to defend and support myself while defending and supporting those who are less fortunate.
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<strong><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-594" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-12-09.00.41.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-12 09.00.41" width="922" height="614">Terry Wrobel</strong> is an Osteopathic Physician with 25 years experience in Primary Care. She did her training in Chicago, IL and Sacramento CA. Before that she earned an MS in Exercise Physiology and was extremely interested in Sports Medicine and using Exercise as a therapeutic technique. “Movement is critical for wellness and for recovery from illness or injury” is a philosophy she uses daily in her own life and to facilitate her patients’ health. She is an avid traveler who is incredibly passionate about volunteering her skills around the world and loves kickboxing. <br><strong>Photos by Terry Wrobel</strong>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/tJlYiM7QTIc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401572-terry-wrobel-fight-to-be-all-you-can-behttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401576-julia-landauer-the-fight-on-the-race-track2015-02-04T21:34:00-08:002018-04-04T14:39:03-07:00Julia Landauer: The fight on the race track.Society Nine
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<p><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-573" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Driscoll-11-18-LKNmag-Landauer-4-681x1024.jpg" alt="Driscoll-11-18-LKNmag-Landauer-4" width="681" height="1024"></p>
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This is the ninth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass female fighters across all sports in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. <br>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.
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<strong>I pulled up my fire suit, strapped on my helmet, closed my visor and hit the gas. It was the first time I chose to be a fighter. I was 10 years old.</strong> <br>Go-karting always made sense to me and being at the track always thrilled me. I immediately started winning and was having the time of my life, when two years later I read about a 12 year-old boy who had moved into racecars. <strong>I decided if he could do it, I could do it.</strong> At the age of 13, I raced in my first car race and <strong>at age 14 I became the first woman to win a Skip Barber Racing Series championship. I made history!</strong> And I’ve continued to win as I’ve climbed the ranks of racing, as I got my education at Stanford University and as I’ve built my brand.<br> <img class="alignnone wp-image-572 size-large" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Driscoll-11-18-LKNmag-Landauer-2-1024x681.jpg" alt="Driscoll-11-18-LKNmag-Landauer-2" width="770" height="512"><br> <strong>But racing isn’t only about the highs of winning.</strong> <br>Each race is a battle zone for every racer. We push our cars and ourselves to the absolute limit every moment we are on the track. We fight against dozens of other racers who want to win just as badly as we do. We work to attract sponsors to help us get to the highest levels of racing. <strong>We train our bodies incredibly hard so we can deal with hours of high G-forces and temperatures of over 130 degrees Fahrenheit.</strong> <strong>And as a female racer, I have to fight much harder to earn the respect of those in the industry.</strong><br> <img class="thumbnail alignnone wp-image-575 size-large" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_9568-1024x683.jpg" alt="IMG_9568" width="770" height="514"><br> Regardless of gender, there are <strong>always</strong> people who will tell you “no.” However, sometimes that “no” comes from a place of <strong>gender-biased doubt</strong>. For many reasons, including rarely having the opportunity to, women haven’t yet proven that we can win races at the top levels of racing. Many people take that to mean women will never win at the top. That mentality, that bias from the beginning, is what I’m trying to change. <strong>Because if racing is already an insanely difficult sport to succeed in, it shouldn’t be made even harder because you’re a woman.</strong> <br>I hope that through my determination, motivation, perseverance and success I can inspire girls and women to feel <strong>empowered</strong> to fight for what they want. <strong>I want girls and women to feel comfortable getting their hands dirty, being gritty and taking pride in it all.</strong> I want girls and women to feel great about working hard and being the best. At the end of the day, I want women to feel that they can be exceptional and can tackle anything they set their minds to.<br> <img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-576" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screen-Shot-2013-08-14-at-8.13.04-PM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2013-08-14 at 8.13.04 PM" width="606" height="609"><br> So why racing? I love manhandling a machine around a racetrack, going fast and winning races. I love the responsibility I have in the car and collaborating with the team to maximize our potential.<strong> I love that the car doesn’t know if I’m a man or a woman and that it doesn’t care.</strong> And I love that pushing myself to the absolute limit and persevering for the past 13 years has resulted in the confidence I need to work relentlessly to make it to the top. <br><strong>And with enough conviction, anything is possible.</strong>
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<em><strong>Julia Landauer</strong> is a championship-winning race car driver from New York City. In addition to earning dozens of wins, Julia has established her brand, competed on the TV show SURVIVOR, spoken at many events including TEDx, graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelors of Science and advocated for female athletes and females in STEM. Julia currently resides in North Carolina where she is pursuing a professional NASCAR career.</em> <br><em><strong>First two photos by Justin Driscoll; last two photos by Julia Landauer</strong></em>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/hodejBG9BhY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17401576-julia-landauer-the-fight-on-the-race-trackhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403868-roma-pawelek-find-a-dream-worth-trading-your-life-for2015-02-03T16:29:00-08:002018-04-04T14:39:09-07:00Roma Pawelek: Find a dream worth trading your life for.Society Nine
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This is the eighth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass women in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. <br>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.
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<p><strong>Every once in a while I think about what motivated me to become a fighter and martial artist,</strong> the foundation probably started in my childhood. I was raised by a single mother who was a Polish immigrant and could barely speak English. My Polish grandmother raised me while my mom tried to make ends meet. As a result, I didn’t know how to speak English for a long time and was often teased at school or grouped into the learning disabled crowd. When I was around six years old, my step dad (dad) came into my life. He took the time to tutor me and introduce me to sports. I started playing basketball and later found a passion for parkour. <strong>My upbringing set the stage for my adventurous spirit and tenacity. I battled through depression and found solace in my training and travels.</strong> <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-553" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-03-15.40.03.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.40.03" width="429" height="320"> <br>My foray into Mixed Martial Arts began when I was a freshman at Carleton College. I was in the student rec center lifting in preparation for another bodybuilding show. By chance, I met a professor from the neighboring college. He introduced himself and mentioned he was a philosophy coach and former boxer. He was also coaching a small boxing club and asked if I might be interested. On a whim I decided to try it out and discovered I loved it. A year later I started the Carleton Boxing Club at my college. To this day, Coach Gordon Marino is my mentor, coach, and friend. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-554" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-03-15.40.48.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.40.48" width="446" height="233"> <br>I took my gloves and workout routines with me everywhere. <strong>When I spent three months in the Africa desert tracking rhinos, I brought homemade kettlebells I could fill with sand and continued training.</strong> <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-555" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-03-15.41.18.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.41.18" width="372" height="566"> <br>When I graduated in 2009 and failed to find a job in the recession I decided to buy a one way ticket to Costa Rica so I could find myself and decide what I wanted to do with my life. I spent several months in a small mountain town teaching English to the local community. The students ranged in age from eight to twenty. <strong>A few weeks into classes, one of the community members helped me make a heavy bag and I started teaching after school boxing lessons to my students. </strong>My newly acquired puppy, Sonic, would watch. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-559" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-03-16.08.44.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-03 16.08.44" width="496" height="375"> <br>Once the school year ended, I decided it was time to move on to another location. I sold the motorcycle I had bought and took all I could carry (including Sonic) and made my way down the mountain to the only paved road. I stuck my thumb out and hoped I could get a ride. <strong>I had no destination in mind. </strong>After about an hour, a couple pulled over and asked where I was going. I told them I had never been to the ocean and wanted to go there. Once I was in their car, we talked the whole drive to the coast. When it was time to drop me off, the couple (John and Maria) took me to their home instead. They gave me a place to stay and fed me for the remainder of my stay in Costa Rica. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-556" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-03-15.46.03.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.46.03" width="493" height="371"> <br>At that time I was living only ten minutes from Dominical (a small town on the Pacific coast). I often went to the ocean and sometimes stayed overnight in one of the youth hostels. Over time I met a small group of guys who trained kickboxing. One of them, Sasa, became my close friend and eventually coach. Many months later we built our own gym by the ocean. Locals and tourists came to train with us. <br>When I returned to the United States, I moved from Illinois to Montana where I went to my first MMA gym and finally competed in my first MMA fight. I met my boyfriend there, and after a year and a half we moved to Oregon.<img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-563" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-03-16.25.11.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-03 16.25.11" width="563" height="421"> <br>Right now I’m training at Performance Martial Arts in Springfield, Oregon. <strong>I am an undefeated professional MMA fighter, a purple belt in jiu jitsu, and a personal trainer.</strong></p>
<p><strong><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-564" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-2015-02-03-16.25.21.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-02-03 16.25.21" width="438" height="569"></strong> <br><strong>I stay motivated by telling myself that someday I won’t be able to do some of the things I do now</strong> (such as competing in MMA). Combat athletes often have a finite amount of time that our bodies let us compete in the sport. <strong>I tell myself that one day I will miss it.</strong> No matter how strenuous the training may be or how much I have to sacrifice to fit everything into my day, someday I will miss this. I never want to look back on my life and wonder “what if.” <strong>If there is something you have always wanted to do, just go for it.</strong> The worst regrets are not trying. <strong>Everyday you are trading your life. </strong>Once a moment is gone you will never get it back – you traded it for something. <strong>So find a dream worth trading your life for.</strong></p>
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<em><strong>Roma Pawelek</strong> is a professional MMA fighter and former bodybuilder out of Oregon. She is currently studying for her JD at the University of Oregon Law School. Having had to fight all of her life – to speak the same language as everyone around her, to make ends meet with a terrible economy, to now following her dream as a pro MMA fighter – she wants to inspire and encourage others, especially women, to fight for what they want unabashedly and unashamed. </em>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/3q91MZiJ-bg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403868-roma-pawelek-find-a-dream-worth-trading-your-life-forhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403872-kara-dolce-i-am-fighting-pretty2015-01-26T16:06:00-08:002018-04-04T14:39:33-07:00Kara Dolce: I AM Fighting Pretty.Society Nine
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<p><em><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-529" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/10408508_10152257068515303_1876928622006426365_n.jpg" alt="10408508_10152257068515303_1876928622006426365_n" width="720" height="960"></em></p>
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<em>This is the seventh profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass women in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.</em> <br><em><strong>If you would like to send a Pretty Package to someone you love, or make a donation to Fighting Pretty, please visit <span style="color: #993366;"><a href="http://www.fightingpretty.org">www.fightingpretty.org</a></span></strong></em> <br><em>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</em>
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In high school, my varsity softball coach always said,<b> “she looks like a girl, but plays like a boy.”</b> And in college, I was the starting winger for our women’s rugby team, and even won Rookie of the Year – all the while painting my nails and curling my hair before rugby matches. I was pretty tough and always up for the fight. <br>But it wasn’t until I was 26 years old, working in New York City at a global advertising agency, where my true fight began.<b> I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer</b>, only one week into a new relationship with a cute guy from my office named Nate Dolce. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-530" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/324719_10150333147115303_61281429_o.jpg" alt="324719_10150333147115303_61281429_o" width="717" height="960"> <br>I immediately thought, “why me!?” and was faced with decisions and situations that no 26-year-old should have to bear. <b>I went on to have chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation and more.</b> Facing breast cancer at such a young age was a true test of strength. I fought like mad. I embraced what was happening to me and took each situation by storm. <b>I lost my breasts, I lost my hair and felt that I lost a bit of my identity.</b> <br><b>So I embraced what was happening to me, and I ROCKED it.</b> I wore blonde, brunette, short and long wigs; I wore bright lipstick, big earrings, backless shirts and high heels – all through my cancer journey. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-531" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Screen-Shot-2014-12-03-at-10.45.02-AM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-12-03 at 10.45.02 AM" width="778" height="542"> <br>While going through treatment, my best friend’s mom – also a survivor – sent me a pair of mini-pink boxing gloves as a symbol to stay strong and never give up. I hung them on my bedpost and looked at them every day. And even when my treatment was completed, and my hair was growing in, <b>I looked at them to remind myself I was still me, I was still beautiful</b>, <b>and I was a true fighter</b>. About one year later, a family friend was diagnosed with cancer and I knew she needed strength. <b>I sent her my mini-pink boxing gloves and she used them for her fight.</b> She is winning her fight and full of strength. And she has passed them on too; the original mini-pink boxing gloves are on to the fifth woman battling cancer. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-532" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Screen-Shot-2014-07-09-at-3.32.32-PM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-07-09 at 3.32.32 PM" width="586" height="592"> <br>Battling cancer gave a whole new meaning for what life was about. Ironically, I gained the confidence in myself I never had before. I smiled more, I walked with purpose and I loved myself more<b>. I was worth fighting for.</b> As I attended support groups, and talked with friends and family during my “battle,” they would ask how I stayed so positive, and how I looked so great. <b>My answer was…’You tell yourself you are strong enough to get through this, and you will be. There’s no other option. Never give up.’</b> <br>After I was roughly four years out of cancer treatment, I knew I needed to share my strength with others. <b> I founded a 501c(3) non-profit organization called <strong><a href="http://www.fightingpretty.org"><span style="color: #993366;">Fighting Pretty</span></a></strong></b> <b>where our mission is to help women battling cancer feel strong and beautiful during and after cancer treatment. </b>This was something that was close to my heart, and something not many cancer organizations were doing for women battling cancer. It is so important to support research and find a cure. But what do we do for the women currently in their battle? <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-533" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FullSizeRender-1-1024x850.jpg" alt="FullSizeRender-1" width="770" height="639"> <br><b>I decided to create care packages known as “Pretty Packages” that I could send to women battling all types of cancer, all over the world.</b> Each Pretty Package would include items such as lipstick, eye shadow, a scarf, nail polish and our iconic mini-pink boxing gloves – as a symbol of strength. <b>To date, I have sent over 1,000 Pretty Packages to over 46 states and seven countries globally.</b> <br>In early 2014, I moved across the country with my now husband, Nate, to Portland, Oregon and continue to build the Fighting Pretty organization with the help of volunteers and supporters all over the country. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-534" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/10712864_725211767571477_828603781727614681_n.jpg" alt="10712864_725211767571477_828603781727614681_n" width="720" height="960"> <br>After looking back on all that I have gone through, and asking the higher power to answer “why me?”, I now know I am here to help women get through their battle with cancer, with some extra strength and bit of beauty. <br><b>I am Kara Dolce. I am fighter. And I am Fighting Pretty.</b>
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<b></b><strong>Kara Dolce’s</strong> motto is “In the end, only kindness matters” – a quote you will find in her high school yearbook. After her own battle with breast cancer, Kara started her own non-profit, <strong><a href="http://www.fightingpretty.org"><span style="color: #993366;">Fighting Pretty</span></a></strong>, where she helps women battling cancer feel strong and beautiful during and after cancer treatment. With an extensive background in marketing in addition to her personal experience with cancer, Kara has been asked to be on the Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society in Manhattan and Portland. Now, Kara is cancer free, and finds her strength from family, great friends and natural inspiration and enjoys working out, and taking hikes through Forrest Park with her husband Nate, and dog Archie. <br><strong>Photos by Kara Dolce</strong>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/IENkrXukqfY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403872-kara-dolce-i-am-fighting-prettyhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403880-mildred-apenyo-women-and-spaces2015-01-26T13:44:00-08:002018-04-04T14:40:08-07:00Mildred Apenyo: Women and spaces.Society Nine
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<p><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-505" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tumblr_nimsqnCDtW1u9530to2_540.jpg" alt="tumblr_nimsqnCDtW1u9530to2_540" width="540" height="751"></p>
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This is the sixth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass women in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. <br><strong>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</strong>
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On the 9<sup>th</sup> of January, I gave my first <strong><a href="http://www.tedxkampala.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">TEDx</span></a></strong> talk. I was so excited about it that I danced onto the stage to the beat of African Skank. I danced so raucously that my microphone flew off and the team had to set me up again. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-501" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Free-Me.jpg" alt="Free-Me" width="960" height="640"> <br>My talk was titled <strong>Women and Spaces</strong> and the theme of the night was ‘Owning My Destiny’. <br>My deal, the thing that keeps me up awake at night, the reason I have gotten into unsafe discussions with street molesters is <strong>SPACE</strong>. Space and my right to it. <strong>My right to own space with no fear, no favor.</strong> <br>I recognize three kinds of spaces. Public spaces, like streets; shared activity specific spaces, like gyms; and the most important kind-<strong>personal space</strong>. <strong>This is your body and the span of your aura.</strong> I just recently became a certified yoga trainer and it is still very fresh in my mind how your aura is the span of your limbs. This is the space that if nothing else, you have a right to by virtue of being born into the world. <br><strong>PUBLIC SPACES</strong> <br>Street molesters can’t have gotten that memo. These guys will whistle, kiss at and even fondle 13 year old girls in school uniform. So as a woman navigating Kampala or any other town in the world you will have people invading your space, your consciousness, your emotions using lecherous words and actions. <br>I first decided to embark on a fitness journey in 2012. I had an almost crippling fear of the men at the taxi and boda stages that surrounded my office because relentlessly, every day for months, <strong>they greeted me with hisses, wriggling tongues and leers and no reaction of mine ever made them stop.</strong> So when I decided to go running, this beaten up pair of Beats is what kept me going. And then one day I forgot them and had to run without. That was the day I ran towards a man who had yelled, “How is your vagina?” at me. I asked him to repeat himself. He didn’t. <br><strong>Making a conscious decision to run every day ate away at my anxiety. I began to feel like I had a right to the space, the street, the tarmac on which I walked as I entered my office and as I left it every evening.</strong> <br><strong>SHARED, ACTIVITY-SPECIFIC SPACES</strong> <br>Now that my anxiety about public spaces had abated, the universe said Oho, wait. You have two more tests. Let’s see how you deal with this shared space business. <br>During a mountain climb I broke my leg. So I chucked running out and decided to learn about strength training. I bought a membership at a gym, armed myself with Google as my personal trainer and limped in on my still healing leg. <br>I was using one of the machines, lifting nothing, 10kg maybe when a big man, dressed in baby blue gear from head to toe came and said, “Get the hell off the machine!” <a href="apenyo.com/i-have-little-muscles-but-the-biggest-mouth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>I was like, “What? Nah.“</strong></span></a> He insisted and we got into a staring contest. He was shouting out of indignation that a woman could dare to stand her ground in such a male space. Clearly he thought I was just playing/wasting time. Screaming at me about how I was somehow being disrespectful, he lunged at me but I was too fast. He then tried to throw a dumbbell at my head. I won, because his conscience or something caught up with him and he stalked off, leaving me shaken and really afraid. <strong>I vowed then never to enter a gym unless it was my own.</strong> <br><strong>THE BODY</strong> <br>This brings me to the third space, the most personal of spaces, the body. At the beginning of 2014, I opened up an exclusive women’s gym and a <strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/fitwomenug" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">social media</span></a></strong> page to go with it (give it a like!) <br><a href="http://apenyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/lady-lifters-fc.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-2169" src="http://apenyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/lady-lifters-fc.jpg" alt="POW!" width="489" height="489"></a> <br>We have expanded into creating personal safety curricula that are tailored to the lives of university, market and corporate women, but at the time it was just a gym with a tiny membership to whom I distributed herbs and homemade oils. <strong>The class I was most proud of hosting was self-defense, although I eventually had to sneak it into kickboxing, the more popular class.</strong> <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-541" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/10950160_10206045795530503_1482620750_n.jpg" alt="10950160_10206045795530503_1482620750_n" width="640" height="640"> <br><strong>Without intending to, I had become the unofficial leader of a fitness movement</strong> and this, as I found out, came with expectations. <br><strong>From July to September I was part of the <a href="http://apenyo.com/sometimes-all-you-need-is-six-weeks/"><span style="color: #993366;">Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young Africa Leaders</span></a></strong> which changed my living situation somewhat. I was living and studying in Indiana, trying very hard to remain plugged into my business back home. This is an experience that took me across the entire spectrum of existing emotions; emotions that I decided to deal with by running. The Notre Dame campus is beautiful and it was very good for my soul. <br><a href="http://apenyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/St._Marys_Lake_Fall_University_of_Notre_Dame-e1420904368825.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-2170 alignnone" src="http://apenyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/St._Marys_Lake_Fall_University_of_Notre_Dame-e1420904368825.jpg" alt="St._Mary's_Lake_Fall_University_of_Notre_Dame" width="465" height="310"></a> <br>After a particularly long run, one gal asked me, gingerly, in her adorable French accent that may or may not have influenced my reaction. <strong>She asked, “How can somebody who exercises so much be so fat?”</strong> <br>The following week, <strong>I submitted a picture to a self-love campaign</strong> we were having on social media. I’d gained fat and in my caption I wrote about that, and also wrote about how intense I looked in my bikini. I was killin it! <br><a href="http://apenyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_20150110_180537-1.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-2168" src="http://apenyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_20150110_180537-1.jpg" alt="Even wear goggles before you look. " width="442" height="556"></a> <br>Just a few minutes had passed before the body police came roaring in on big motorcycles of bigotry and horribleness. How dare I, the leader of a fitness movement, be so careless as to express self-love in the face of fatness? Unacceptable! Fat people must remain quiet and ashamed, right? Silly non-people! <br>It was silly and annoying but it brought to light how necessary it is to bring wellness into fitness spaces. It confirmed to me that even though my business wouldn’t grow as fast necessarily because of my refusal to fat-shame women into the gym, it would be worth more to reach the greatest amount of women – ALL women. <strong>We all fight for our right to be well – in heart, mind, body and soul.</strong> <br><strong>You can be depressed and insane with abs so tight that they show through your shirt.</strong> <br><strong>You can be depressed and insane with a belt of jiggle around your hips.</strong> <br><strong>What we need to go for is mental, emotional and physiological wellness.</strong> <br><strong>Most importantly, we cannot achieve wellness without safety.</strong> Without safety and without the confidence to demand safety; without the idea that we have a fighting chance in the face of <strong><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/uganda-miniskirt-ban-protests-after-women-are-assaulted-and-forced-to-undress-in-public-9155773.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">legislatively sanctioned un-dressings of women</span></a></strong>, without complete ownership of our spaces, we aren’t living lives worth living. <br><strong>Our bodies <span style="text-decoration: underline;">have</span> to be dictatorships. They cannot be democracies where everybody has a say.</strong> <br><a href="http://apenyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/LOKODO.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2171" src="http://apenyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/LOKODO.jpg" alt="Seriously GTFO" width="676" height="380"></a> <br><strong>Our bodies deserve to own the ground beneath their feet.<br> </strong> <br><strong>Our bodies deserve to walk the streets unmolested.<br> </strong> <br><strong>Our bodies deserve our loving attention.</strong> <br>As one member of my conglomeration of besties said yesterday, “As women we are taught that our bodies are decorations, that we exist for the visual pleasure and ownership of others. BUT HEY! This is not a decoration. I live here!”
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<strong>Mildred Apenyo </strong>is a writer and human rights activist with a passion for the safety and wellness of women based out of Kampala, Uganda. In 2014, she quit her career in advertising to start FitcliqueAfrica, a social enterprise that opens exclusively women’s gyms, creates personal safety curricula and promotes wellness through the distribution of herbs and herbal products. <br>She calls herself an accidental entrepreneur because according to her, “I had no idea that my activism, my feelings and protests would manifest as a business.” Mildred was one of the 500 chosen to be part of the inaugural class of the Mandela Washington Fellowship of Young African Leaders in 2014. <br><strong>First photo by <a href="http://bodydictatorship.tumblr.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">Darlene Komukama</span></a>; second photo courtesy TEDxKampala; all other photos courtesy Mildred Apenyo</strong>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/5N4nK_Wqe8Y" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403880-mildred-apenyo-women-and-spaceshttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403884-sarah-disanti-get-out-of-your-own-way2015-01-19T21:51:00-08:002018-04-04T23:20:18-07:00Sarah DiSanti: Get out of your own way.Society Nine
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<p><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-429" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/SarahHook4-1024x576.jpg" alt="SarahHook4" width="770" height="433"></p>
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<em>This is the fifth profile in our <strong>Society Nine Storytellers</strong> series where badass women in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.</em> <br><strong><em>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</em></strong>
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I’ve been skinny my whole life. That doesn’t sound inspirational, I know, but stick with me. I am one of those girls who actually said, “it’s good genes.” And if you look at that family photo, you’ll see, I wasn’t kidding.
<figure id="attachment_422" class="wp-caption thumbnail alignnone" style="width: 439px;"><img class=" wp-image-422 size-full" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Screenshot-2015-01-19-18.40.11.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-01-19 18.40.11" width="439" height="534">
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Skinny minnie in the middle – that’s me</figcaption>
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You could replace that photo with a stick figure family and it’d still be pretty accurate. Growing up I was bullied for being too skinny by family members and friends alike. “Eat a cheeseburger,” they’d say. So I would. I’d eat 2, intentionally in front of people to prove I was, in fact, just skinny by nature. I continued to eat whatever I wanted, with the metabolism of a horse to somehow keeping me thin. Needless to say, my eating habits weren’t the healthiest. Sure, I played soccer and did the normal teenager activities, but “fitness” was not in my vocabulary. Plus, I hung out with my dad and my brother, picking up nerdy, computer-oriented hobbies which ultimately led to my career path, but I was pretty sedentary. College only exaggerated that lifestyle of poor dietary choices and slothing around. <br> <br>It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to move to LA for my career after I graduated that my life began to really change. <strong>I tried to carry my horrible diet with me.</strong> I was eating fast food 4-5 times a week. I was lethargic, and surprise, surprise, I felt terrible. My stomach was in knots. I never made the connection of diet to physical ailments, as obvious as that sounds. <strong>That says something about the issues with fitness media and culture. If you look skinny, you’re healthy right?</strong> I went to the doctor, got lab tests done, the whole nine yards. They couldn’t pinpoint a specific reason why I felt so poorly. They had suggested some type of drug whose main purpose wasn’t to ease stomach pain, but its side effects tended to help. I didn’t want some bogus medication that <i>might</i> help a phantom pain. <br> <br>I decided I was going to solve my own mystery. I started by limiting my fast food – sounds like a no brainer, right? Even though I knew very little about nutrition, I knew that fast food wasn’t the best thing for me, especially in excess. Slowly but surely, as I limited my junk food intake, my stomach began to feel better. I became my own science experiment. If I could remedy a physical ailment just by diet, what else could I improve upon? I was replacing the junk with highly nutritious alternatives. I looked up recipes and actually cooked. I wasn’t just maintaining my body – I was improving it.<strong> I took ownership, finally, of this blessed gift I’ve received – my god-given body – and decided to treat it well for once.</strong> I joined a chain gym and started to get my cardio on. I felt like I was taking control of myself, not everyone else’s perception of me. Opportunities started to arise. I met a guy at work who lost over 40lbs while we were dating. We started on a journey of health and love together, and eventually got married.
<figure id="attachment_423" class="wp-caption thumbnail alignnone" style="width: 625px;"><img class=" size-full wp-image-423" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Screenshot-2015-01-19-18.40.22.png" alt="Tag team for life" width="625" height="414">
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Tag team for life</figcaption>
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We had a decent handle on our diet and we hit the gym pretty regularly, but we wanted to take it to the next level. However, we were kinda stuck. What more could we do? <br> <br>As fate would have it, I stumbled across a group deal for a women’s bootcamp class at a Thai kickboxing gym. Bootcamp was the word I needed to hear, and boy was it intense. You can run on a treadmill and lift dumbbells all you want, but the moment you’re alternating sprints with hitting a heavy bag is the moment you realize your fitness level is not what you thought it was. I immediately signed my husband up for the Thai kickboxing classes and so began our journey into Muay Thai. <br> <br>Once I began sparring, any insecurity I had needed to be vanquished. There was no room for doubt in the mental game of being punched and kicked. <strong>In the first few of months of sparring, any time I would get hit in the face, I would instantly start crying.</strong> I couldn’t stop it. The more I tried to fight it, the harder I cried. Regardless of how mad I was for being a “stupid girl” I could not stop the tears. All these thoughts kept circling in my head. <strong>“What are you doing? You’re not a fighter; you’re not an athlete. You’re a computer-jockey.”</strong> I couldn’t let go. But something in me wouldn’t give up. I dug deep, fought through it, and eventually I learned to take a hit. It was the biggest exercise in letting go, but I wasn’t alone. My teammates were constantly pushing me and encouraging me. <strong>This process was the missing piece to my fitness journey -</strong> <strong>getting out of my own way.</strong> <br><strong><strong> <img class="thumbnail alignnone wp-image-425 size-large" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/SarahKick2-1024x767.jpg" alt="SarahKick2" width="770" height="576"></strong></strong> <br><strong>I may have been skinny but I was never strong and I was never surrounded by people who supported mental and physical self-improvement,</strong> regardless of your starting point. Strength took on a whole new meaning for me. It didn’t mean the ability to bench press your body weight. <strong>It meant the ability to find the will to push on and fight through whatever is holding you down.</strong> I am a fighter, in every sense of the word, and I am proud of it. <br><strong><strong> <img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-427" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/SarahKick_HiRes-1024x576.jpg" alt="SarahKick_HiRes" width="770" height="433"></strong></strong> <br><strong>These days I feel so empowered in everything I do.</strong> I felt confident to start my own business venture. <a href="http://activejars.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">My training partner and I came up with the idea to make an almond butter geared toward athletes</span></a>. We wanted to encourage and promote the healthy lifestyle that had improved our lives so greatly. It’s a balancing act, between my full time jobs as an animation editor, a loving wife, my entrepreneurial activities, and my training. While I feel like an empowered woman inside and out, I’ll always be a work in progress. In fact, my strength and conditioning coach calls me “T-rex” because of my childlike upper body strength, but I’m constantly building and improving to be the best version of myself I can be. This whole journey has taught me this: the perception of me by others is not what defines me. I define me.
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<img class="thumbnail aligncenter wp-image-428 " src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Screenshot-2015-01-19-18.40.32.png" alt="Screenshot 2015-01-19 18.40.32" width="460" height="306"> <br><strong>Sarah DiSanti</strong> is an assistant editor at Paramount Animation in Los Angeles, CA. She is also the co-founder of <strong><a href="http://activejars.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">Active Jars</span></a></strong>, a super infused almond butter. She and her husband, Vinnie, create their own short films and promotional videos under the company of <strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TwoHandFilms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">Two Hand Films</span></a></strong>. She trains out of <strong><a href="http://www.robotfightfitness.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">Robot Fight and Fitness</span></a></strong>, and is a Muay Thai blue belt. When she’s not tackling new projects, she enjoys good wine and great TV.
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/7sNgnJahew8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403884-sarah-disanti-get-out-of-your-own-wayhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403888-kori-distefano-start-asking-what-if2015-01-12T12:12:00-08:002018-04-04T14:40:03-07:00Kori DiStefano: Start asking “What if?”Society Nine
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<p><em><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-393" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/10351402_10205032766009375_6519321260804555764_n.jpg" alt="10351402_10205032766009375_6519321260804555764_n" width="540" height="960"></em></p>
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<em>This is the fourth profile in our Society Nine Storytellers series where badass women in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for.</em> <br><em>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</em>
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Society Nine is a brand for badass women, but <strong>what is a badass woman?</strong> I feel that I am one now, after years of struggling, on a good day. On bad days, I still struggle with finding balance. At first I was excited to write this blog; however, as I was thinking about how to tell my story, I found I felt inadequate to write this only because how can a badass woman tell you about her battle with shame and fear and still be badass? Being badass doesn’t mean you DON’T have fear or shame. Being badass is different for everyone. For me, being badass meant stopping myself from seeing fear and shame as inherently bad. And sometimes, this is a daily battle. <br> <br>My battle towards becoming a badass woman, one who lives life on her terms, with the ability to continue on towards her dreams even when it became (or becomes) tough, came to be when “if only” met “what if.” <br> <br><strong> “If only.”</strong> These are two small, tiny words with such amazing powers to shape a life. These two words did shape mine, sadly; that shape was in the form of fear and shame and I became imprisoned and bitter by those two small words. The road to badass was long and winding and my constant companions were fear and shame cloaked in “if only.” <br> <br>“If only,” spoken to me, about me and by me are my earliest memories. Some children have memories of a soft favorite blanket that brought them comfort. Oddly for me, the shame of not feeling that who I was, as I was, was worthy of a lot of things and the fear to try is the underlining memory of all my childhood and early teen years. It became my safety blanket. The odd comfort of this fear and shame followed me on for my 20’s and 30’s. <br> <br><strong>“If only” is debilitating; it prevented me from loving, having fun, believing in myself, and most importantly, going after what I wanted.</strong> I filled my head with thoughts such as like, “<em>If only</em> I was taller, <em>if only</em> I was smarter, <em>if only</em> I was thin and blond, <em>if only</em> I was funnier or stronger, or faster.” <br> <br>Sadly, as I mentioned earlier, I wish I could say that “if only” were words spoken in my internal dialogue. It was not. For 38 years, “if only” was applied to me both externally and internally. Teacher to my parents: “Kori would be the smartest girl in the class, <em>if only</em> she applied herself. My parents to me: “You would be successful<em> if only</em> you just applied yourself. You would be pretty <em>if only</em> you lost 20 pounds. You would be married by now <em>if only</em> you weren’t so opinionated, outspoken, strong willed”. <br> <br>“If only you were…” became my mantra for 38 years. I believed it, internalized it and became it. <br> <br>Until June 13th, 2012. That’s when “if only” became “<strong><em>what if.</em></strong>” <br> <br><strong>I woke up on the morning of 6/13/12 from one of my many reconstructive surgeries from my double mastectomy.</strong> I will never forget the drug induced haze that had enveloped me when I turned to look around the room and was surprised to see my brother sitting there. I knew he was picking me up but I didn’t think they would bring him to the recovery room. They hadn’t brought anyone in before and I was getting used to my silly anesthesia ramblings. I always said, “The rain falls mainly in the plains of Spain” because it was a memory of my mom. I couldn’t bust out my traditional joke because as I looked at him, I realized that something was terribly wrong.
<figure id="attachment_397" class="wp-caption thumbnail alignnone" style="width: 540px;"><img class=" size-full wp-image-397" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/10541947_10204120532404105_1728261744298627964_n.jpg" alt="My wonderful brother (and my sister photobombing in the center)" width="540" height="960">
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">My wonderful brother (and his beautiful wife photobombing in the center)</figcaption>
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“It’s mom, she’s bad,” I said and I remember watching his eyes well up. My brother’s not a crier. He slowly nodded his head, his hands in the pockets of his oversized hoodie, his big green eyes looking at me with resentment that he was at my bedside instead of mom’s. <strong>I turned to the nurse and explained my mom was dying from breast cancer and that we had to leave.</strong> <br> <br>That nurse deserved humanitarian of the year award. I was discharged faster than anyone should have ever been. My brother drove us to mom’s house faster than anyone should be allowed to drive. <br> <br>I remember like it was yesterday, walking into my mother’s guest room turned hospice room and saying, <strong>“Mom, I’m here, we can recoup together,”</strong> and at that moment, she breathed her last breath. <br> <br>I walked like a zombie. Grateful the pain meds from the surgery hadn’t passed yet but then hours turned to days. I delivered a eulogy without shedding a tear. I’ve been strong my whole life but never really knew it. But then, sadly, the days turned into weeks and I ended up on a long drive. My family thinks I haven’t been to mom’s grave. But I have. <br> <br>I lay next to her grave a few weeks later. Me in my white dress lying on the mud asking her what I was supposed to do next. <br> <br><em><strong>What if.</strong></em>
<figure id="attachment_398" class="wp-caption thumbnail alignnone" style="width: 426px;"><img class=" size-full wp-image-398" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/10261964_10204079007566010_29117954919696130_n.jpg" alt="Me, discovering my inner peace." width="426" height="640">
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Me, discovering my inner peace.</figcaption>
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That’s what I heard. What if. What if I started living life without fear and shame? What if I started going after what would make me happy? What if I just believed in trying my hardest? What if I walked away from things that didn’t make me happy and what if I started going after the things that did? <br> <br><strong>What if I believed that who I am was enough?</strong> What if there was no conditional statement? What if I simply tried? <br> <br>Two months later, I did my first 5k obstacle race in honor of my mom. It about killed me. I distinctly remember that the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain of losing my mom. <br> <br>So I ran. And I ran. And I continued to run. Like Forest Gump, I would get up early and go run. I would run 5k’s with my best friend. But it wasn’t giving me what I wanted. <br> <br>What I wanted was the body that came from lifting weights. I’ve always wanted to have the muscle definition that came from bodybuilding. <br> <br><em><strong>The Iron Maiden.</strong> </em>My mom, dad and I would joke about this title in high school. I took an elective gym class on body building and I wanted to be the strongest girl, thus The Iron Maiden title. But “if only” reared its ugly head and I stopped. I was a bigger girl and IF I did body building, I wouldn’t be feminine; I wouldn’t be happy because it wasn’t what girls did or how they should look. I could be a bodybuilder, <em>if only</em> I was naturally long and lean so as not to appear too manly. Who wants to date a short girl who is naturally thick, who is built more like a work-horse than a stallion? <br> <br>During one of my runs on the treadmill, I stopped and picked up some dumbbells and used them. The small gym only had 5, 10 and 15 lb. weights and when I got strong enough to use the 15 pounds, I upgraded my gym. I was still hearing “if only” while I was at the new gym, until one day I said enough and got a trainer, Beth. When I approached Beth about being my trainer she asked what my goal was and she said, “Are you wanting to do a competition?” I laughed and said… <strong>IF ONLY.</strong> I told her that I just wanted to get in shape for my 40th birthday in Mexico. <br> <br>While in Mexico, “what if” hit me hard. What if I did this, it’s what I always wanted. What if I believed in myself and tried? What if I just simply tried. What if I got a coach and a team? What if I gave it my all… <br>So I did it. I started working with Danny from Beck Infinity Fitness and Derek from <a href="http://teamdreamquest.com/news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">Team DreamQuest</span></a> and 16 weeks later, I won two first place trophies in women’s physique. <br><a class="thumbnail" href="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_20141206_131637.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-413" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_20141206_131637-1024x1024.jpg" alt="IMG_20141206_131637" width="770" height="770"></a> <br>“What if” will stay with me forever. I qualified with the masters win to go for the IFBB pro card this summer. What if I try, what if I give it my all? What if I win? What if I don’t try? I’d rather live with failure of living my dream of being an Iron Maiden than live with the shame of “if only.” <br>The part of being a badass that appeals to me is the fact that fear and shame are not permanently gone, but <strong>my desire to see myself to the end of my dreams is bigger than that shame and fear</strong>. I’m no longer afraid of falling or failing, only of not trying. And I’m no longer shameful of my thunder thighs. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-400" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/10806218_10205033156259131_2002738183439022820_n.jpg" alt="10806218_10205033156259131_2002738183439022820_n" width="960" height="960">
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<strong>Kori DiStefano</strong> is a Medical Practice Administrator, mother of a rambunctious 3 year old, and a Team DreamQuest NPC Women’s Physique Competitor who will be competing in July for pro status in the International Federation of Body Building. She is passionate about acceptance in oneself and others. Embracing that life is too short to worry about the small things, she strives daily to find the balance of mind, body and spirit. After years of struggling with her own issues of self-acceptance, she hopes to help at least one person realize that who they are, exactly as they are, is more than enough. She hopes to inspire people to realize that it’s never too late to go after what they want in life, that stereotypes are meant to be broken and that the only thing you have control over is the amount of effort you put into any activity. <br><em><strong>Photos by Kori DiStefano</strong></em>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/JkEkSOPJLoQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403888-kori-distefano-start-asking-what-ifhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403900-kristin-korvell-i-define-myself2014-12-18T13:40:00-08:002018-04-04T14:39:56-07:00Kristin Korvell: I define myself.Society Nine
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<p><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-357" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/10637674_926593672140_14531803_n.jpg" alt="10637674_926593672140_14531803_n" width="720" height="960"></p>
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<em>This is the third profile in our Society Nine Storytellers series where badass women in our community share their definitions of femininity, strength and empowerment and discuss what they fight for. </em> <br><em>Have a story to tell? Email us at <a href="mailto:contact@societynine.com?subject=Society%20Nine%20Storytellers"><span style="color: #993366;">contact@societynine.com</span></a> – tell us who you are, a little bit about your journey and what you fight for – in life and sport.</em>
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<strong>My name is Kristin</strong> and I am obese. No, I didn’t mean to say I am overweight, I meant obese. <strong> I have run 6 half-marathons in the past year and a half, I weight lift 3 days a week and I follow a fairly healthy diet but despite these facts, I am obese.</strong> This is not my attempt at a sob story and I don’t need you to tell me that I am “pretty, anyway” or that I can “change that with healthy eating and exercise.” I don’t think I am obese in the way teenagers complain, while pinching a bit of skin to show proof. I really am obese. <br>At least, that’s what I have been told by my doctor, who performed an In-Body test on me in her office a few months ago. If you haven’t seen one of these machines yet, they are actually really cool. It’s like a scale that measures not only your weight, but everything from your bone density, muscle mass, hydration levels and everyone’s least favorite word: fat. In under a minute, I had a piece of paper that told me who I was: Fat. Looking back, had I taken that test at the end of high school I could have saved a lot of money “finding myself” in college, but that’s a conversation for another day. The test confirmed that I had very good muscle mass, I was just a little bit dehydrated, my skeleton weighs over 70 pounds (when knew?) and that I was carrying around too much fat for my height. I am 5’9 and wear between a size 14 and 16 pant.
<figure id="attachment_363" class="wp-caption thumbnail alignnone" style="width: 720px;"><img class=" wp-image-363 size-full" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/10685546_10152765252109297_5070211346866216373_n.jpg" alt="10685546_10152765252109297_5070211346866216373_n" width="720" height="960">
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Photo courtesy Jocelyn Creighton McCabe</figcaption>
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When I told my friends, there was a general sense of outrage, as one of the main changes my doctor prescribed was to end my long distance running. Studies show I can more effectively burn calories doing weight bearing exercises. My running team banded together to share articles and personal antidotes about the weight they had lost running, or how running burns the most calories of any cardio sport. I had actually gained weight when I took up running. <br>I’m sharing this, because while it is no secret that weight and body image are huge issues plaguing women every day, it takes on a more extreme role when one is considered an athlete. <br><strong>If you look up the definition of <em>athlete</em> in the dictionary it will tell you this:</strong> <br><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ath-lete</span>: noun: a person trained or gifted in exercise or contests involving physical agility, stamina or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise or game requiring physical skill.</strong></em> <br><strong>No where in this definition does it describe what an athlete should look like, male or female.</strong> <strong> But yet, our society has given us the image of an athlete.</strong> They are muscular and sculpted, without an ounce of body fat, and they always have the glow of a perfect summer tan. Pick up any fitness magazine on the market, and I am willing to bet the cost of a race entry fee, that I am right. There is no acknowledgement of any other type of athlete than this. So what is one supposed to do when they don’t look like this? <br>I became incredibly frustrated for awhile. How could I be proud of my accomplishments if they didn’t show, physically? Am I expected to just pretend the unattainable images I see of what an athlete “should” look like don’t bother me? Am I supposed to explain my weight issues when announcing my most recent running accomplishment? I’ve spent too long walking around with the word obese hanging around my neck like an albatross. <br>At the gym recently, I noticed a group forming around me as I performed my workout, including an obscenely large amount of burpees, assisted pull-ups and kettle bell swings. I thought maybe I had been taking up too much space or hogging equipment, so I apologized and welcomed them to use any of the equipment I had laid out. Instead, they all shook their heads, sharing comments about how amazed they were with what I was accomplishing that day. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-358" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/10660956_926573597370_2132044574_n.jpg" alt="10660956_926573597370_2132044574_n" width="960" height="960"> <br>For the first time, I saw what my body was capable from a new perspective. They were unaware that I was defined as obese. Having not seen my In-Body test results, all they saw was me. <strong>And for the first time, I saw me. A woman, with things to work on, but who was not afraid to push herself a little harder than had the day before.</strong> <br>My body can do amazing things. I love my legs, with all of their girth and space they take up, they have carried me farther than I could ever once imagine. My arms have pulled me forward, propelled me through each lap swam, each sprint completed and each pull up attempted. Though the washboard abs have yet to make an appearance, my core is strong and can keep me in alignment through the toughest workouts, protecting me from injury and defeat. My butt can’t fit into a designer pair jeans, but it can help me climb up a Mt. Everest sized hill in my spinning classes! <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-full wp-image-367" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/10653933_926574510540_344931850_n.jpg" alt="10653933_926574510540_344931850_n" width="720" height="960"> <br>While I am not encouraging obesity at all, and am acknowledging wholeheartedly the health risks associated with that diagnoses, <strong>I refuse to let this word define me</strong>, anymore than I will let the cookie cutter, photo shopped fitness models define me. <strong> I am proud of my accomplishments, and I refuse to consider that I have succeeded despite the fact I am obese.</strong> I have earned everything I have done because I worked for it. One foot in front of the other, closer to meeting the next goal, already planning the next race or next workout. <br>I am a woman. I am obese. I am an athlete.
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<strong>Kristin Korvell</strong> is the Site-Coordinator for a 21st Century Learning Center After School program in Lacey, WA. She is passionate about social change and fighting for what she believes in; bargain shopping and and a well poured glass of red wine. She is currently working towards her Masters in Public Administration and firmly believes in the power of a good run to change everything. <br><em><strong>Photos by <a href="http://korvellphoto.smugmug.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">John Korvell</span></a></strong></em>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/r_of0uj5fDk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403900-kristin-korvell-i-define-myselfhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403904-jazzy-green-the-power-of-duality2014-10-22T11:03:00-07:002018-04-04T14:39:46-07:00Jazzy Green: The power of duality.Society Nine
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<p class="p1"><img class="alignnone wp-image-306 size-large" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ILL_9696_S9_068-1024x682.jpg" alt="ILL_9696_S9_068" width="770" height="512"></p>
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<em>This is the second profile in our Society Nine Storytellers series where badass women in our community share their personal evolutions as they work to find the meaning of femininity, strength and power.</em>
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<strong>My passion for movement</strong> began its development at the age of three when I discovered gymnastics. At that stage in life, gender and sexuality were still within the realm of innocence, but I did notice a sense of inequality between me and my male counterparts. I struggled to comprehend why girls were forced to wear sparkles and leotards, while boys could coexist in more natural and comfortable attire. Some might say I was a tomboy from the start. <br><strong>Around the age of 9, I found Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.</strong> Having outgrown the skill set of the coed youth classes, I advanced to an adult men’s class. At this time, gender differentiation had still not crossed my mind. They were wonderful and respectful practitioners who challenged me instead of overpowering me, all the while sharing our training and skills as grapplers like we were pieces in a chess match. <br><strong>At 12, I found Krav Maga</strong> (contact combat) – Israeli self defense. Although I understood that we were learning something incredibly practical, I had no experience in real world application, or understanding of a person’s capacity for violence. Training was simply learning a new skill-set. Regardless of strength, speed or experience, anyone can learn to defend against any sized attacker by utilizing a strong sense of self worth, intuition, positioning, leverage, and explosiveness. <br><strong>As high school rolled around,</strong> these skills translated well into the sport of wrestling. My teammates were athletes, the type of people I was used to, but this time they were boys of my same age. They were a supportive bunch of goofs who taught me to spit and make crude jokes, but despite the camaraderie I began to develop a sense of shyness and frustration. I found myself wedged between a social norm and a childhood innocence while being told I had to wear a bra to contain those parts of my body that were distinctly different from those of my teammates. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-322" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ILL_0315_S9_094-1024x682.jpg" alt="ILL_0315_S9_094" width="770" height="512"> <br><strong>For as much as this practice of humanity’s oldest and most animalistic sport is revered, it is also ridiculed.</strong> Males are deemed gay for rolling around on the ground with each other, and females are simply not understood for choosing a “man’s” sport. <strong><em>“Don’t wrestle like a girl,”</em></strong> people would say; but I continued to train, gracefully ignoring the stereotypes. And then one day I encountered the inevitable. Our team had a dual meet, and my opponent didn’t want to wrestle me because he was afraid to lose. The next weight class was taken by the weaker girl on our team, so he forfeited our match and bumped up to hers. In an effort to humble this boy’s ego I jumped up a weight class and gave him no choice. He needed to see me as an athlete, not a girl. I threw him around until I tech-pinned him, which in short means an ass kicking. That is one of the only times I have felt true aggression override the peaceful warrior within. <br><span class="s1"><strong>I continued into college wrestling,</strong> at which point a women’s team made sense now that there were extreme size and strength differences between the sexes. </span>It had become clear that I was not just an athlete, but a female athlete. When Crossfit came into my life, I was happily shocked to see so many women lifting heavy and pushing their physical boundaries in Crossfit’s testosterone-driven atmosphere. When yoga came into my life, I noticed the slow and attentive movements with breath inevitably deterred the more masculine crowd, although yoga is the most challenging and demanding practice I have found. As with anything, balance is the most optimal and sustainable state of being. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-320" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ILL_0090_S9_080-1024x682.jpg" alt="ILL_0090_S9_080" width="770" height="512">
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<strong>In all of my teachings, I aim to combine the duality we exist between, urging men to let go of damaging stereotypes and women to cultivate the physically able part of themselves.</strong>
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I meet more and more women who use this ever-present mental toughness to<span class="s1"> push physical boundaries. In clients I see</span> that awesome inner power as they maintain their femininity alongside the intensity of training. They experience that strength in body feels good before necessarily fulfilling desired physical results<span class="s1">. Myself and others are continually influenced by these women fighters, weight-lifters, wrestlers, nature enthusiasts, yogis, movers, and incredible teachers. </span> <br><img class="alignnone wp-image-319 size-large" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ILL_9639_S9_065-1024x682.jpg" alt="ILL_9639_S9_065" width="770" height="512"> <br><span class="s2">In a combat dome at a festival, a guy about twice my size challenged me to a fight, and despite his best efforts I proceeded to dominate the match. </span>
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<strong><span class="s2">Afterwards, a woman stopped me to communicate how much it meant to her to see what we are capable of. </span></strong>
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<span class="s2">It was then evident that remaining </span>true to my passion for movement is my vehicle for continual self-growth and outward inspiration. I do not resist vulnerability, but allow for the possibility that living well will be seen, accepted, and reciprocated. Living out our truths is like a dance – like redirecting a punch without strength, moving with the push and pull of a match, or positioning ourselves in a place of greater ease and joy so we can flow with life’s natural state.
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<em><strong>Jazzy Green</strong> is a Fitness and Phase C Krav Maga Worldwide certified instructor, has trained at The Olympic Education and Olympic Training Centers for wrestling, is a Level 2 MovNat certified instructor, a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified instructor, and has coached middle school wrestlers to professional adult male and female fighters to first-time movers. Her accomplishments include two-time California female state wrestling champion, second in the nation for freestyle wrestling, third for folkstyle, and was seventh in the nation in college. She strongly believes in connecting with all of nature for an understanding of our part as humans. For the past seven years she has been teaching all that she can share. Her desire is to help people who need a hand getting on their feet.</em> <br><em><strong>All photos by <a href="http://www.illgander.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">ILL GANDER</span></a></strong></em>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/xMxZ1XjCrXU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403904-jazzy-green-the-power-of-dualityhttps://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403924-debra-criss-power-is-beautiful2014-06-01T23:20:00-07:002018-04-04T14:39:40-07:00Debra Criss: Power is beautiful.Society Nine
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<p><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-331" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ILL_9933_S9_072-1024x682.jpg" alt="ILL_9933_S9_072" width="770" height="512"></p>
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<em>This is the first profile in our Society Nine Storytellers series where badass women in our community share their personal evolutions as they work to define what it means to be powerful.</em>
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Power is beautiful. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-334" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ILL_8943_S9_044-1024x682.jpg" alt="ILL_8943_S9_044" width="770" height="512"> <br>I remember trying to climb a tree in the front yard of my uncle’s house when I was about 5 years old. I so badly wanted to climb that tree. I really believed I could get to the top, but my mom called me down before I could get very far. “That’s what boys do, stop it, you’re just going to hurt yourself.” <br> <br>I also remember being scolded for crying when I came down. It just wasn’t allowed. Vulnerability in any form wasn’t allowed. You have to be strong, and being strong is simply not showing emotion. <br> <br>I also remember endlessly being told by my mother throughout my childhood (and into adulthood) that I could be pretty “if only.” If only my hair were straighter, curlier, darker or lighter. And especially if only I were thin. Not thinner, <i>thin</i>. There was a size at which you became pretty; after that, you moved into chubby, then just fat. Pretty and fat could not coexist. Active and fat also could not coexist. <br> <br>That’s about the time I said fuck it. I’m not trying to be pretty, and I’m not trying to be thin. If I am not pretty naturally, then why bother? <br> <br>Fast forward. <br> <br>After a very difficult few years, in 2012 someone talked me into trying kickboxing. This was ridiculous of course – I was quite certain I would throw up then pass out. Hopefully in that order at least. But I didn’t have anything else to do, so what the hell? I weighed 360 pounds when I walked through that door. I can’t say it was fun, I can’t even say for sure that I remember the entire class, because I seriously may have blacked out. <br> <br>But I didn’t throw up. I saved that for class two. And four and five. <br> <br>After class I got the spiel about their gym and what they primarily teach – Krav Maga. I watched a class, was totally terrified but after a few weeks gave it a shot anyway. <br> <br>You hear stories of people finding something very meaningful for them, and how it just “clicks” for them. This was NOT my experience when I started Krav. The only things clicking were my knees every time I tried to jog around the block. <br> <br>I’m not sure what kept me going. I hated trying to find a partner before class, as I was certain no one would want to partner with me, nor did I even think it was fair for someone to <i>have</i> to partner with me. <em>At the end of the day, I think what resonated so well with me was that each person is allowed to have their strengths, whatever they may be</em>. I might not move as fast as the next person, but I dare you to get on the receiving end of my left hook or body shot.
<figure id="attachment_233" class="wp-caption thumbnail aligncenter" style="width: 444px;"><img class="wp-image-233" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/side_by_side-300x230.jpg" alt="Side by side" width="444" height="340">
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Left: me, pre-fight. Right: destroying Thai pads.</figcaption>
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Over the course of a year and a half I lost about 150lbs. Just fighting. I eventually started sparring classes. I’m pretty sure I smile a little bigger every time I get hit in the mouth. And then about 5 months ago I started teaching a kickboxing class. I cannot begin to tell you what absolute poetry it is to me to be teaching the class that changed my life. It’s kismet. <br><img class="thumbnail alignnone size-large wp-image-332" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ILL_8663_S9_031-1024x682.jpg" alt="ILL_8663_S9_031" width="770" height="512"> <br>More important than any of that, since I started Krav the rest of my life has changed. I got a bitchin’ promotion at work. I designed uniforms for Olympic athletes. I bought a house. I have been dating more than ever. I also have allowed myself to have a girly side. I’ve never had one of those before. I even wear my heels sometimes now instead of just looking at them at the top of the closet in all their beautiful glory. Though to be honest, my boots still get most of the wear. <br> <br>I put up such a hard, tough front for so long that I thought that’s all I could be. Little did I know how weak I really was. I’ve spent most of my life in deep loneliness because I didn’t know how, and was afraid to, have real relationships with people. I couldn’t be vulnerable. Beyond not wanting to, I didn’t even know how. <br> <br>Fighting has changed that for me, too. I’m realizing that it’s not the punches or kicks that have given me control of my life, <em>it’s the humility and inherent vulnerability involved in the sport.</em> That’s what is making me powerful, and that’s what has taught me that I am beautiful.
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<br><em><a class="thumbnail" href="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/debraprofile.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-236" src="http://wp.societynine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/debraprofile-225x300.jpg" alt="debraprofile" width="175" height="233"></a></em> <br><em>Debra is the Lead Divisional Designer at Columbia Sportswear heading up the Outerwear, Youth and Equipment design teams. She’s been in the active apparel industry for 12 years, often specializing in highly athletic product. Debra recently designed many uniforms for the U.S., Canadian and Russian Freestyle ski teams at the Sochi Olympic games. She is also a Krav Maga green belt, and works with helping to socialize developmentally disabled young adults. Debra’s on a mission to not only heal her own body image, but to help others see themselves for who and what they really are as well. She believes active, strong and beautiful come in all shapes and sizes.</em> <br><em><strong>Photos by <a href="http://www.illgander.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color: #993366;">ILL GANDER</span></a></strong></em>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/societynine/storytellers/~4/FVrqh8birmo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>https://societynine.com/blogs/society-nine-storytellers/17403924-debra-criss-power-is-beautiful